Bangladesh
Teesta Agreement The Teesta treaty has been stuck for 11 years, it's a shame: Momen
Dhaka, May 30: The water of the river Teesta flowing between India and Bangladesh is very important for Dhaka. Bangladesh has been trying for a long time to ensure fair water for this international river. But for whatever reason, the Teesta water sharing agreement, which is very important for Bangladesh, has not yet seen the light of day.
Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. AK Abdul Momen has indirectly criticized India, a friendly neighboring country. He also called it shameful that the Teesta treaty has been stuck for 11 long years.
In a statement issued to Indian media on Monday (May 30), India is trying to take bilateral relations with Dhaka to a new level amid growing Chinese interest in Bangladesh. Dhaka and New Delhi are preparing for a bilateral joint consultative commission between the foreign ministers of both the countries in June and this will pave the way for a possible visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in July.
But a contentious issue between the two countries has remained unresolved for more than a decade. And that is the Teesta water sharing agreement. In this context, the river conference between India and Bangladesh started a couple of days ago in Guwahati, the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
On the sidelines of the two-day conference on Sunday, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said, "Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach an agreement on Teesta water sharing for the last 11 years. We have 54 common rivers with India. We are interested in working together on water sharing through joint management of all rivers. Basically, joint management is needed for the well-being of the people on both sides of the river."
"It's a shame the Teesta water-sharing deal has been stuck for 11 years," he said. "We were ready, they were ready too, but that deal was not done. There will be a great cry for water in the future and we have to prepare for it."
In 2011, India agreed to share 37.5 percent of the Teesta River with Bangladesh, and the country agreed to retain 42.5 percent of the water between December and March. However, the agreement was not signed due to opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The West Bengal chief minister has been vehemently opposed to the deal from the beginning.
