Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (September 6, 2022) emphasised collaborative efforts to sustain economic growth and maintain peace, security and stability in Bangladesh, India and in the region.

She said it will bring benefits to not only the two countries, but also ensure peace and prosperity in the region if Bangladesh and India can work together as partners.

In a press statement after holding bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Delhi’s Hyderabad House, she said that linked by 54 rivers and sharing four thousand kilometers of border, Bangladesh and India are committed to enhancing the collective welfare of the two nations.

Hasina said Bangladesh-India bilateral relations are lauded as a role model for neighborhood diplomacy. 

“Over the last decade, both countries have achieved remarkable progress in a number of areas,” she said.

The prime minister said that the two countries had resolved many of the outstanding issues in the spirit of friendship and cooperation.

“We hope that all outstanding issues, including signing of the Teesta water sharing treaty, are resolved at an early date,” she said.

Also read: India always helps Bangladesh in times of need, says PM Hasina

Having forged a strong partnership over the last 50 years, she said, Bangladesh and India are working on an increasingly wide range of issues of mutual interest. 

She congratulated India on successful completion of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – the year-long celebrations marking the 75th year of India’s independence.  

The Prime Minister termed the bilateral meeting as another round of fruitful discussion, and hoped that the outcome of this meeting will bring benefits to the peoples of both countries.

Connectivity, trade and commerce, investment, water resources, border management, security, and line of credit are some of the areas they discussed, Hasina said.

Also read: PM Hasina pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat

She expressed sincere gratitude for the invaluable support extended by the government and people of India during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. 

“Since then, Bangladesh-India ties are anchored in shared history and culture, mutual trust and respect, longstanding friendship and continued cooperation.”

Hasina appreciated Modi’s visionary leadership that continues to provide added momentum to bilateral relations.

She reiterated that India is the most important and closest neighbour of Bangladesh.