New Delhi, Feb 21: Bangladesh has emerged as a role model for strong socio-economic growth and its progress is not just in the interest of its people but equally in the interest of the region and beyond, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday.
Effective management of the India-Bangladesh border is key to facilitating economic linkages and people-to-people contact, Shringla said speaking at an interaction with a Bangladeshi delegation, including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, at the 10th India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue organised by the India Foundation.
“We need to work closely to strengthen border infrastructure to ensure smooth transit of goods and people while ensuring that illegal activities are kept under check,” he said.
Noting that last year was truly a milestone in the history of bilateral ties, Shringla pointed out that President Ram Nath Kovind as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh in 2021 to celebrate the ‘Triveni’ of the historic anniversaries of Bangladesh’s independence, Victory Day and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“Today, as Bangladesh commemorates fifty years of its independence, I am happy to note that its growth has proven its detractors wrong. Bangladesh has emerged as a role model for strong socio-economic growth,” Shringla said.
The growth of Bangladesh is not just in the interest of the people of Bangladesh, but equally, in the interest of the region and beyond, he asserted.
It is this spirit of interdependence and fraternal ties that drive India’s development cooperation with Bangladesh, which is the largest it has with any country, Shringla said.
Noting that two-way trade in the recent past has witnessed a quantum jump with exports from Bangladesh, for the first time, expected to cross USD two billion this year, the foreign secretary said early conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement is vital to enhancing this momentum in trade. (PTI)
