Thaindian News

Agartala, Jan 11 (IANS) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday asked India to be more generous and liberal to increase business between the two neighbours and to come forward for better water management.

“New Delhi and Dhaka have solved many long-pending issues, but there are many problems those needs to be solved with broad-minded outlook,” Hasina said while addressing the India-Bangladesh business summit.

Without referring the unresolved Teesta water sharing issue, she said: “India is a big nation. It should be more liberal and generous to further improve the water management for further increasing the closeness of two neighbours.”

Referring to the trade imbalance between the two nations, she said: “Last year India exported goods valued at $3 billion to Bangladesh while importing commodities worth $250 million.”

She said Bangladesh would allow India and other neighbours to use Chittagong and Mongla sea ports as it “wanted to improve all types of communication facilities with the adjoining countries to further improve the trade and commerce and people to people relations”.

Hasina, who arrived here Wednesday on a two-day maiden visit to the northeastern state, fervently urged the Indian investors and businessmen to invest more in that country.

Expressing her happiness over India’s decision to relax in duties providing scope of Bangladeshi goods to expand their markets in India, she asked the Bangladeshi businessmen to be more competitive to further enlarge its marketing scope.

“Since 1996, the Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-Agartala bus services have been started. New rail link being established between Akhaurah (Bangladesh) and Agartala (India). Such type of connectivity facilities should be further broadened,” she said amidst applause.

She said that India and Bangladesh’s common enemy is poverty. “We should fight it together. If we improve our all types of bilateral ties, we would be able to solve many pending issues.”

In her 20-minute speech, Hasina said that the Bangladesh government would not allow any type of terrorism in her country and we would also not tolerate to use Bangladesh soil to use by any outside terrorists.

“Our government’s first priority was to establish peace and without peace, no kind of progress can be achieved,” she said adding that without increase of trade and business, economy would not prosper.

“Regional cooperation between the southeast Asian countries should be further improved. Political will of both India and Bangladesh are very positive. This should be exploited more vigorously,” Hasina stated.

In his speech at the summit, union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, who air dashed from New Delhi to Agartala Wednesday to receive Hasina, said Bangladesh and India have lot of challenges and opportunities.

“Dhaka and New Delhi should create a framework to help youths of both countries to move forward. Bangladesh students can come India to take the best education in any discipline in any best institutions,” he said.

Captains of trade and business of India and Bangladesh have also spoke in the summit that was jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Tripura government.