DHAKA, March 12 (NNN-BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said
bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India have appeared as a “role
model” of good neighborliness for the rest of the world, expressing her firm
belief that this cooperation will also continue in future.
“As a result of multifaceted and multidimensional cooperation, our
bilateral relations have become a role model of good neighborliness for the
rest of the world. I strongly believe that this momentum will continue,” she
said while jointly inaugurating four projects with Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi through a videoconference.
Sheikh Hasina said over the last decade, two countries have witnessed
remarkable progress on cooperation in different conventional and
unconventional areas like security, power, trade and commerce, energy,
connectivity, infrastructure development, environment, renewable energy,
education, culture, people-to-people contact and health.
At the same time, she said, the two countries have expanded cooperation in
newer areas e.g. blue economy and maritime cooperation, peaceful uses of
nuclear energy, cooperation in outer space, internet bandwidth sharing, cyber security etc.
The schemes opened by the two prime ministers are supply of Double Decker and Single Decker AC and Non-AC Buses and Trucks to Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (under the 2nd Line of Credit), 36 Community Clinics in 5 Districts (Jamalpur, Sherpur, Habiganj, Sunamganj and Brahmanbaria) under grant financing of the Government of India; 11 Water Treatment Plants in Bhandaria Pouroshova, Pirojpur District (under grant financing of the Government of India) and National Knowledge Network (NKN) Extension to Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh premier joined the videoconference from her official
Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka, while Narendra Modi joined it from her office in New Delhi.
They jointly inaugurated the four projects by unveiling the e-plaques. At
the function, short videos on the projects were screened.
Sheikh Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s firm commitment to stamping out
terrorism, saying that it will never allow its land to be used by any
terrorist organization.
“We remain steadfast in our resolve to root out the scourge of terrorism
from our region and beyond through bilateral, regional and multilateral
cooperation,” she said.
The Bangladesh premier expressed her utmost sympathy for the family
members of the deceased personnel who were killed in the Pulwama attack in Kashmir last month.
The Indian prime minister in his speech highly appreciated Bangladesh’s
tremendous development saying that this (development) is a matter of
happiness and inspiration for India.
Highlighting India-Bangladesh cooperation, Modi said India feels pride by
remaining beside Bangladesh to help materialise its Vision 2021 and 2041.
The Indian premier said that India would continue their support in the days to come to help Bangladesh becoming a developed country by 2041.
Describing relationship between Bangladesh and India as like a family, Modi said the two neighbours introduced a ‘Golden Chapter’ of relationship.
“I personally feel proud for working to this end,” he said, adding that the relations between India and Bangladesh would reach another height in the next five years. — NNN-BSS
