Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has said the government has signed new agreements and renewed old ones with India, ensuring the protection of Bangladesh's national interests.
He made these remarks during an interaction with journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday afternoon, in response to a question regarding BNP's critical comments on the Prime Minister's recent visit to India.
Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud said, “BNP Secretary General is making comments without understanding the difference between agreements and memorandums of understanding. Their job is to oppose the government without any valid reason.”
Describing the relationship with India as mutually respectful, Foreign Minister Hasan said, “After forming the government for the third time, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the first head of government to visit. India is our trusted friend. The support they provided during our liberation war, the sacrifices of their soldiers, and the shelter given to nearly one crore of our people have made our relationship inseparable.”
The minister said, “When BNP was in power, they failed to maintain relations with neighbors. BNP leader Begum Zia herself admitted that she forgot to mention the Ganges treaty during her visit to India. However, in 1996, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed the Ganges treaty, ensuring our access to water.”
Foreign Minister Hasan further added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the relationship between the two countries has reached new heights. This has enabled us to import hydropower from Nepal through transmission lines passing through India, and discussions are ongoing with Bhutan regarding the same. Due to this strong relationship, India lifted the ban on onion exports to Bangladesh before Eid-ul-Adha this year.
In response to a question about connectivity with India, Hasan Mahmud mentioned that rail links like Dhaka-Kolkata and Khulna-Kolkata are operational. Efforts are ongoing to improve regional rail and road connectivity, including with Nepal and Bhutan.
He added that there has been long-standing communication between border areas of Bangladesh and various regions of India. Many of these connections were severed after 1965, but efforts are underway to restore them.
