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25 June 2014, Gateway House

Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Bangladesh

Neelam Deo, director at Gateway House, comments on the visit of India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, to Dhaka

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India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, will visit Dhaka on 25June 2014. She is expected to hold bilateral discussions with her Bangladeshi counterpart, A.H Mahmood Ali and call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Abdul Hamid. The bilateral dialogue will primarily cover the Teesta River Agreement and the Land Boundary Agreement between the two countries. Neelam Deo, director at Gateway House, comments on the pending issues between the two countries and the revival of the bilateral.

Statement:

“The visit of India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, to Bangladesh marks the first opportunity for the new government to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was unable to attend Prime Minister Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi. It is a goodwill visit which emphasises the importance India attaches to its neighbours, and signals to other South Asian countries that a more positive dynamic is possible bilaterally and for the region as a whole.

The primary issues of discussion during the visit to Bangladesh will be the Teesta River Agreement and the Land Boundary Agreement. Progress on both agreements was disappointing in the past, mainly due to India’s domestic disagreements. This had repercussions on India’s hopes to increase transit facilities to north-eastern states with Bangladesh, which has been the longest-standing imperative in the bilateral. The path to reviving the bilateral and holding any meaningful discussion lies in resuming where it stalled.

On the issue of transit facilities to north-eastern states, India will need to provide assurances that it will invest in building and upgrading roads and railways that will be used for transit. A responsible discussion is required on illegal migration and improvement of border management. It is in India’s interest to make arrangements for work permits which will enable immigrants to seek legal employment in the country.”

For more information or interview requests, please contact Reetika Joshi at joshi.reetika@gatewayhouse.in.