Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam met Indian State Minister of External Affairs MJ Akbar on Monday on the sidelines of the “Indian Geoeconomic Dialogue” being held in Mumbai.
The two ministers noted that tremendous progress was made in almost all sectors of cooperation between Bangladesh and India, including connectivity, power, trade and commerce, security, cultural exchange, tourism and people-to-people contact, a press release said.
They also hoped the goodwill generated by the peaceful and historic settlement of land boundary and maritime boundary issues would provide more confidence in their bilateral relations.
During the meeting, the Bangladeshi state minister drew the attention of his counterpart to the issues of the demonetisation of rupees, which has affected a large amount currently deposited in Bangladesh Bank, and the recent anti-dumping measure India has imposed on jute, which has created difficulties for Bangladesh in exporting it to India, among other issues.
The Indian counterpart assured the state minister that both countries can resolve the issues with goodwill and the existing good relations between them and take it to a deeper level.
Terming 2017 as the “Landmark Year of our Relationship,” the state minister for Indian External Affairs stated that his government was excited about the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and is looking forward to welcoming her in India.
He hoped the two prime ministers with their visionary leadership would take the current relationship to new heights and ensure the overall peace and prosperity of their people.
He also took note of the issues raised by the Bangladeshi state minister and assured him that he would consult with the relevant Indian authorities for to resolve them at the earliest.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
