The prime ministers of India and Bangladesh have directed trade officials on both sides to start negotiations on a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement this year and to complete these at the earliest, according to a statement by India’s ministry of external affairs.
“The two leaders welcomed the recent finalization of a Joint Feasibility Study which recommended that Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will be beneficial for both countries,” the ministry said on September 7.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on a three-day visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Both prime ministers met on September 6, followed by delegation-level talks.
The premiers discussed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including political and security cooperation, defence, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development cooperation, cultural and people-to-people links. They agreed to collaborate in new areas such as environment, climate change, cyber security, ICT, space technology, green energy and blue economy.
The leaders underscored the importance of implementing bilateral and sub-regional rail, road, and other connectivity initiatives. They also appreciated the growth in bilateral trade, with India emerging as the largest export destination for Bangladesh in Asia.
Bangladesh requested India for a predictable supply of essential food commodities such as rice, wheat, sugar, onion, ginger and garlic. India conveyed that Bangladesh’s requests will be favourably considered based on prevalent supply conditions in India, and all efforts will be made in this regard, according to the statement.
India has requested for early signing of the interim water sharing agreement on Feni River, taking into account the urgent irrigation requirements of Tripura, while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s long-pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta River, the draft of which was finalized in 2011.
The two countries also agreed to quicken efforts to improve bilateral and sub-regional connectivity through early operationalisation of the so-called BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement.
The two countries signed pacts in diverse areas such as water, railways, technological and space cooperation, broadcasting and judiciary.