Assam delegation advances North East’s outreach to Bangladesh

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen said that Dhaka attaches great importance to its relationship with India. Momen said this while meeting a 55 member delegation from Assam which is currently in Dhaka. The delegation which includes more than 30 MLAs is led by Biswajit Daimary, Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly called on Momen on Monday.

Momen added that Bangladesh’s relations especially with Northeast India is a special one for its unstinting support to Dhaka during the War of Liberation in 1971.

Momen mentioned that Assam can reap the benefit from the outstanding growth of Bangladesh’s economy by enhancing trade and commerce, tourism and people to people contact, News On Air in its report said.

Meanwhile, Daimary said that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s zero tolerance policy towards terrorism and radicalism has contributed to “peace and prosperity in the entire region.”

India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-kilometre-long border — the fifth-longest land border in the world. Four of the eight northeastern states including Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghakaya share their borders with Bangladesh. Besides these northeastern states, Bangladesh also shares its borders with West Bengal.

Earlier, Bangladesh invited the Chief Ministers of all the northeastern states to visit Dhaka to boost ties.

Earlier this month, India also completed a trial run for trans-shipment of cargo movement from Kolkata to the northeast through Mongla port in Bangladesh marking a new era in connectivity for New Delhi and Dhaka. This would mean that goods from Kolkata can reach the land-locked northeastern states through Bangladesh.

The movement of goods from Kolkata port to the northeastern states using the India-Bangladesh Protocol route will reduce both transit cost and time.

Also read: Indian envoy calls for early free trade deal with Bangladesh to push growth