Bangladesh
Teesta Treaty India assures Teesta treaty and an end to border killings
Dhaka, December 18: India has assured Bangladesh of the Teesta treaty and and end to killings at the border, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters at a press brifing at the state guest house Padma, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
According to the joint statement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina raised the issue of an interim agreement on Teesta water sharing in 2011 on the basis of mutual consent.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, reiterated the Government of India's sincere commitment and continued efforts in this regard.
The joint statement on the border killings said, "The two leaders agreed that the loss of civilian lives at the border is a matter of concern and instructed the concerned border guards to reduce such incidents to zero. At the same time, the two Prime Ministers emphasized on the full implementation of the integrated border management activities of the BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) and BSF (Border Security Force)."
In response to a question from reporters about the discussion on the Teesta agreement, Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen said, "The Indian government has already agreed to this. Everything is ready, but not implemented. We picked it up again. I said, we do not want to embarrass you by raising this, but it is a very important issue for Bangladesh. At the same time we asked about six more rivers. Regarding Teesta, they said that they are continuing talks to involve all parties."
In this regard, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, said, "The two Prime Ministers have discussed the Teesta. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized on resolving this issue from the side of Bangladesh. We place equal importance on this agreement. The two Prime Ministers outlined their understanding of the context. According to the constitution, we have to take all the parties together," he said.
Doraiswami added, "Emphasizing that border management is a shared responsibility of both India and Bangladesh, the two leaders emphasized the need for concerted and joint patrols to curb cross-border crime."
