Dhaka-Delhi partnership major to tranquil S Asia: India
Indian Exterior Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar about Mon said the partnership between Bangladesh and India will be key to building a prosperous and calm South Asia.
"I firmly believe that," he explained adding that partnership is a befitting tribute to the eyesight of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in this historic Mujib Barsho.
The Indian minister made the remarks while addressing a virtual programme along with his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen, UNB reports.
Dr Jaishankar said India remains to be a committed development partner of Bangladesh.
With exports from Bangladesh to India having crossed the US$ 1 billion mark in 2019 - a impressive growth of 43 percent from the prior year, India invited the business enterprise community of Bangladesh to help expand improve their engagement with India.
"We anticipate more such milestones, especially in this historic time and just as we commemorate 50 years of the liberation of Bangladesh and the establishment of our diplomatic ties up coming year," explained the Indian Minister.
He hoped the partnership will become truly exemplary and forge better bonds of friendship.
"Our uniquely concessional credit lines of near to US$ 10 billion are the largest India possesses extended to any nation. These projects can help in the infrastructure creation of Bangladesh, a pre-requisite because of its economy leapfrog to another level," he said.
The Indian minister said both countries need to interact to expedite these ongoing projects.
He said an extremely few countries on the globe share such fraternal ties and the partnership today stands seeing that a role model in the region once and for all neighbourly relations.
Dr Jaishankar highlighted ever developing multifaceted cooperation includes tourism, health, education, security, energy, culture and frontier technology of nuclear technology, space & IT, and good people-to-people links.
He said Bangladesh has seen impressive economic growth rates within the last few years. "It’s achievements across all socio-economic indicators has set different benchmarks."
Dr Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while paying tribute to Bangabandhu in the inaugural Mujib Barsho celebration, had admired the commitment of the people and the leadership of Bangladesh in making their country Sonar Bangla, seeing as envisioned by Bangabandhu.
The Indian minister said the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has posed brand-new challenges to the world, especially in realizing their developmental goals.
India stands prepared to cooperate with the people of Bangladesh to tide over these difficult circumstances, he said.
"The pandemic in addition has forced us to create innovative solutions targeted at minimizing disruptions to our supply chain logistics. Thanks to our well-timed work, the business communities of our two countries include started utilizing freight trains for transporting commodities and recycleables for manufacturing sectors," said the minister.
The movement of freight via rail also ensured that the way to obtain essential commodities continued undisrupted, particularly in the holy month of Ramzan, as trade through property borders faced challenges.
In the virtual handover ceremony, 10 broad gauge (BG) locomotives were virtually flagged off to Bangladesh by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal.
Bangladesh Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan, Indian Minister for Railways and Commerce & Market Piyush Goyal and Minister of Condition for Railways Angadi Suresh Channabasappa also joined up with the event.
