Bangladesh
Seheli Sabrin Teesta river development: If India objects, Bangladesh will take steps understanding geopolitical importance
Dhaka, Dec 29: If any kind of objection is raised by the neighboring country India on the development project of the Bangladesh part of the Teesta river, action will be taken considering the geopolitical issues. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seheli Sabrin, made this comment in response to questions from journalists at the regular weekly briefing on Thursday.
Chinese Ambassador to Dhaka Yao Wen spoke to reporters about the Teesta project at a seminar titled 'Image of China in Bangladesh' at Sheraton Hotel in the capital on December 21.
The ambassador said that they have received several development projects related to the Teesta River from Bangladesh. Waiting till the end of the upcoming January 7 elections. China is interested in working for the development of Teesta River. Hopefully, we can start the Teesta project after the January 7 elections.
When asked about the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding his statement, Seheli Sabrin said, "You know that China is one of the development partner countries of Bangladesh. They have been cooperating in various infrastructural development within Bangladesh. China has also expressed interest in cooperating with development projects on the Bangladesh side of the Teesta River. This matter will be considered by our respective Ministries and Economic Relations Department (ERD) who usually work on various projects."
China says they want to start work on the Teesta project after the national elections. But India's Siliguri corridor is not far from the part of the Teesta where China wants to start project work. Siliguri Corridor is also known as 'Chicken's Neck' by India. The country thinks that China wants to take over Chicken's Neck in the name of development of Teesta River. For this reason, India does not want to see the presence of China in front of the Chicken's Neck. In this case, to what extent Bangladesh will take into account if India raises objections about China's work on the Teesta, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "In fact, the whole question is speculative. It is not easy to answer such hypothetical questions. But if any such proposal or objection comes from India, then we will consider the issue of geopolitical importance. I will take next steps accordingly."
