India, Bangladesh emphasise on enhanced bilateral security cooperation

The two-day India-Bangladesh foreign secretary-level dialogue ended here on Tuesday emphasising security cooperation between the two next-door neighbours.

By Nazrul Islam

Dhaka, June 26 : The two-day India-Bangladesh foreign secretary-level dialogue ended here on Tuesday emphasising security cooperation between the two next-door neighbours.

Under the proposed cooperation scheme the two sides will share information to deal with terrorists, criminals and insurgents to help ensure peace and stability in the region, according to officials.

"It is to the common interest of both India and Bangladesh to jointly deal with terrorists, criminals and insurgents because it will neither help India nor Bangladesh," Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon told at a post meeting press briefing.

He said that the meeting stressed enhancing security cooperation, particularly information sharing, between the authorities concerned to this regard.

Both sides at the meeting reiterated their commitment not to allow their territories to be used in any way for insurgent activities, sources said.

In a joint press statement, issued after the meeting, it was said that Home Secretaries of the two countries would meet at a mutually convenient date to resolve certain issues.

The delayed annual meet between the two foreign secretaries also agreed to hold meetings of joint river commission for sharing of waters of the common rivers and work for quick resolution of problems concerning the demarcation of 6.5 km land boundary, which has remained unresolved for decades.

Bangladesh's acting foreign secretary, Touhid Hossain, led an 11-member delegation while Menon led a nine member one at the discussion held at the state guest house Padma in the city.

Menon told newsmen that New Delhi agreed to provide duty-free access to products of least developed countries, including Bangladesh, in phases by December 31 this year, as announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the 14th SAARC summit in New Delhi.

Replying a question whether duty-free access to Bangladeshi products would help reduce the trade gap imbalance, Touhid said, "The trade imbalance cannot be removed overnight but the tariff concession will certainly help in this regard."

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate technical cooperation in the fields of standardisation, certification, testing, measurement and quality assurance system.

"The meeting also underlined the need to improve rail, road, river and air connectivity between the two next-door neighbours," said the joint statement.

On sharing of water on common rivers, the two sides agreed to hold a meeting of the joint committee of experts, headed by water resources secretaries, to be followed by the meeting of the joint river commission, the forum of water resources minister, at the earliest.

On bilateral trade, the two sides discussed issues relating to tariff and non-tariff barriers, coordinated development of land customs stations, establishment of border hatts and facilitation of investment.

Before the starting of Sealdah-Joydevpur train service, an Indian railway team will visit Dhaka next month to discuss the details of the operational modalities.

Menon later met with the Chief Adviser to the interim administration, Fakhruddin Ahmed, and the Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed.

ANI