Teesta treaty will be signed soon, PM Hasina hopes

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed her hope that all pending issues, including the Teesta water-sharing treaty, will be resolved soon.

"The two countries have resolved many outstanding issues in the spirit of friendship and cooperation and we hope that all outstanding issues, including the Teesta water-sharing treaty, would be concluded at an early date," the prime minister told the media after a discussion with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

"Today, I thank PM Modi that we resolved the issue of Kushiyara…So, I know as long as Prime Minister Modi is here, Bangladesh and India will resolve all these problems," said Sheikh Hasina with Modi by her side.

Reiterating that India is the most important and closest neighbour of Bangladesh, she said Bangladesh-India bilateral relations are known to be a role model for neighbourhood diplomacy.

The prime minister said she and Narendra Modi concluded another round of fruitful discussion and its outcome will bring benefits to the peoples of both the countries.

"We held the meeting in a spirit of close friendship and cooperation. We discussed a wide range of bilateral issues to take forward our relationship in the days ahead," she said.

She also said during the talks they stressed the need for focusing on possible ways to materialise commitments and accommodate each other's priorities in a mutually beneficial manner.

"Connectivity, trade and commerce, investment, water resources management, security, border and lines of credit are some of the areas we discussed," she said.

She mentioned that having forged a strong partnership over the last 50 years, both countries are working on an increasingly wide range of issues of mutual interest.

"I and Prime Minister Modi agreed to pursue collaborative efforts to sustain our economic growth and maintain peace, security and stability in our two countries and in the region," she said.

If Bangladesh and India can work together as partners, Sheikh Hasina said it will bring benefit not only to the countries, it will also bring peace and prosperity in the region as a whole.

The prime minister said bounded by 54 common rivers and 4,000 kilometres of border, Bangladesh and India are committed to enhancing the collective welfare of the two peoples.

She expressed her gratitude for the invaluable support extended by the government and the people of India in Bangladesh's Liberation War.

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

The prime minister appreciated Narendra Modi's visionary leadership that continues to provide added momentum to bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.

She also congratulated the government of India and its people on successful completion of the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahatsav" – the year-long celebrations, marking the 75th year of India's independence.

At the new dawn of the "Amrit Kaal", Sheikh Hasina extended her best wishes as India moves forward towards attaining resolutions made for "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" – a self-reliant India.