Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday said both Bangladesh and India agreed to use non-lethal weapons to reduce border killing to zero.
“He (Indian FM) agreed with me that there will be no border killing if non-lethal weapons are used,” Hasan told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The issue of border killings was discussed during his bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House on February 7.
Both sides agreed to enhanced cooperation between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) and using non-lethal weapons to reduce border killing to zero.
Hasan emphasised on early conclusion of Teesta water sharing agreement, aiming to strengthen water cooperation between Bangladesh and India. He also stressed the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty that will expire in 2026.
Responding to a question on Teesta issue, Hasan said the Indian central government has no problem regarding Teesta water sharing but the State government is not yet on board.
He said the two countries take forward the discussion on Teesta water sharing after the India’s elections in the coming months.
Hasan requested his Indian counterpart to withdraw tariff and non-tariff barriers for Bangladesh’s exports, as well as ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh for maintaining price stability, especially during Ramadan.
Bangladesh and India on Wednesday discussed areas of future engagement in line with the national development goals of the two countries, including the visions of “Smart Bangladesh 2041” and “Viksit Bharat 2047”.
At the invitation of the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S Jaishankar, Hasan Mahmud paid an official visit to India from February 7 to 9.
“Our discussions will strengthen (the) Bangladesh-India Maitri (friendship),” Jaishankar said in a brief message shared from X, formerly known as Twitter.
This was Foreign Minister Mahmud’s first official visit to India and his first bilateral visit to any country, after assuming office as the new Foreign Minister of Bangladesh in January 2024.
