‘Dhaka to get increased cooperation from Delhi’ 

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said India will cooperate increasingly with Bangladesh noting that the next fifty years of the two countries’ shared journey will bring even greater satisfaction for both sides.

Loosely translated, he said it, it means ‘Friendship Day” but “Maitri” has a much deeper connotation.

“It is a relationship that has a depth, and has a significance beyond the ordinary. It is a bond that has stood the test of time,” Shringla said at a discussion “Maitri Diwas, the 50th Anniversary of India-Bangladesh Diplomatic Relations” held in New Delhi.

Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) hosted the event. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a video message on the occasion.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Hasanul Haq Inu, Simeen Hussain, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India Muhammad Imran, Director General of ICWA Ambassador Vijay Thakur Singh, former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Rajeet Mitter, Asian Confluence Director Sabyasachi Dutta and The Economic Times Diplomatic Affairs Editor Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury,

Joint Secretary (Bangladesh & Myanmar), Ministry of External Affairs Smita Pant also spoke at the event.

India recognized Bangladesh as a free and independent nation while it was still fighting its War of Liberation, said the Indian Foreign Secretary.

“It was the second country in the world to do so. It was a leap of faith. India did so because it was convinced of the righteousness of the Bangladeshi cause, and the certainty that it would prevail, Shringla said.

He said India and Bangladesh share the Bay of Bengal and 54 rivers and these are being exploited to create a low-carbon footprint connectivity through waterways and coastal shipping. “Cargo, for example, can now move to Agartala from Kolkata via Chattogram.”

Shringla said Bangladesh and India are linked through power grids and a common energy market is emerging.