India has again assured Bangladesh of resolving the Teesta river water sharing issue, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam said today (September 6, 2022). “We are still at the assurance level. We believe the commitment that India made will be fulfilled, though it may take time,” he said. The state minister said this at a press briefing held at Bangladesh House in the Indian capital after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. He, however, said that the major achievement of PM Hasina’s current visit is the agreement on the withdrawal of water from Kushiyara river by Bangladesh. Read: Hope all outstanding issues, including Teesta treaty, are resolved soon: PM This was among the seven MoUs signed between the two countries on the second day of Hasina’s four-day official visit to India. Shahriar Alam, while responding to a question, mentioned that India has given due importance to PM’s ongoing visit. He mentioned that if one goes through Delhi’s streets, they will see posters of the Bangladesh PM, and Indian media is giving the visit round the clock coverage. During the bilateral talks, he said, both the leaders discussed connectivity, cooperation on energy and trade, and water sharing.  “Every issue was discussed with an open mind during the bilateral talks. Both sides believe that every issue would be solved through discussions,” he added. Shahriar said that Narendra Modi highly praised Bangladesh’s unprecedented development under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Hasina and said the Bangladesh Prime Minister has taken care of the country’s 17 crore people with motherly affection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BNP on Saturday voiced anger as the party alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina did not raise the issue of ensuring fair share of water from the Teesta River during her Friday’s meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.