Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Bangladesh and India agreed to pursue decisions made during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister to India in January last with due determination to ensure equitable benefits for both the neighbors.
This commitment was made when Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee called on Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in Dhaka on Saturday, a foreign ministry press statement said.
The two ministers discussed overall direction of bilateral relations and in particular reviewed progress in the implementation of the decisions taken during the historic visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister to India January last.
Expressing his happiness at the signing of the credit line agreement, Pranab Mukherjee said this is yet another leap forward in Bangladesh-India relations. Now the challenge is to identify the projects and implement them to bring mutual benefits for the peoples of the two friendly countries, the Indian finance minister added.
Bangladesh foreign minister highlighted the imperative to secure progress on sharing of the Teesta waters which was appreciated by the visiting minister.
Dipu Moni raised the issue of greater connectivity among the countries in the neighborhood and development of sub-regional projects. She underlined the immense potential of collaboration in the power sector and opined that countries in the region should harness water resources for power.
The foreign minister reiterated early resolution of the outstanding land boundary issues in the spirit of the Land Boundary Agreement signed in 1974. The ministers agreed on the immediate holding of meetings to discuss all unresolved boundary issues. This would add momentum to the ongoing process of cooperation, she added.
Indian finance minister came to Dhaka on a four-hour visit to witness the signing of US$1.0 billion credit agreement. The credit line will be utilized for a range of projects including development of communication infrastructure. Pranab Mukherjee’s visit though short provided an opportunity to review the developments and also added impetus to the ongoing process of cooperation, the statement added.
BBN/SSR/SI/AD-07Aug10-8:45 pm (BST)
