"An agreement has been signed with India by preserving the country's interests"

  • Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmud

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmud

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that the government has signed a new memorandum of understanding with India by preserving the interests of Bangladesh.

He said this in response to a question regarding BNP's negative comments on the Prime Minister's recent visit to India during an exchange of views with journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday (June 26) afternoon.

বিজ্ঞাপন

The minister said that the BNP secretary general is commenting without understanding the difference between the agreement and the memorandum of understanding. Their job is to oppose the government for no reason.

Terming the relationship with India as mutually prestigious, the foreign minister said, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for a visit as the first head of government after forming the government for the third time. India is our faithful friend. The way India has helped us in our liberation war, the way their soldiers have given their lives, the way they have given shelter to our nearly one crore people, our relationship with them is inseparable.

He said when BNP was in power, they could not maintain relations with their neighbors. BNP leader Begum Zia herself said that she forgot to talk about the Ganga Treaty when she went to India and that we are getting water because Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed the Ganga Treaty in 1996.

The foreign minister said that today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the relationship between the two countries has reached a new height, as a result of which we are able to import hydropower from Nepal through the transmission line over India, discussions are also going on with Bhutan. India lifted its ban on onion exports to Bangladesh ahead of Eid-ul-Azha this year due to ties.

At that time, in response to a question about 'connectivity' with India, Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that Dhaka-Kolkata, Khulna-Kolkata rail connectivity exists. Along with India, work is going on to develop regional rail and road connectivity including Nepal and Bhutan.

He said that the contact of various parts of India with the bordering areas of Bangladesh has been going on for a long time. After 1965, many contacts ceased. They are being restarted.