<p>During his hour-long interaction with editors here, Krishna was asked about the remarks of the PM that 25 per cent of population in Bangladesh was anti-India but the minister drove home the point strongly that Singh has highest regard and affection for the people in the neighbouring country.<br /><br />“I met PM on Monday and he has conveyed that his affection for Bangladeshi people is always there. It is consistent with his thinking that India and Bangladesh have a shared destiny and we will have to work with each other with full trust. We may have trust deficit with some countries but there is no reservation on the part of India and people of India about strong relations with Bangladesh. History will judge us differently if we do not live up to expectations”.<br /><br />Krishna had to face the issue on board from journalists accompanying him. “I would not say that PM’s statement created controversy. The very fact that the PM spoke to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina [on Monday] is indicative of the fact that PM believes in a closer India-Bangladesh relationship. Singh is a champion of closer relationship of the two countries. I am sure no adverse inference will be drawn by people of Bangladesh from PM’s remarks which were intended to be off the record but figured in official transcript”.<br /><br /> He asserted he did not expect hostility during his Dhaka visit because of the controversy.<br />Krishna said India has always been wanting to forge a strong relationship with Bangladesh. He stressed that the bilateral relations were passing though the best phase in recent times with a number of new and forward looking initiatives taken by the leadership of two countries following the visit of Prime Minister Hasina to India in January 2010. “We are passing through a momentus juncture in our relationship”, he remarked.<br />Krishna, who will review the entire gamut of relationship with Bangladesh ahead of the PM’s visit here in early September, will sign several "bilateral documents" on transit, a 15 year interim accord on Teesta river water-sharing, joint ventures in power sector and development projects under the one billion dollar Line of Credit extended by India in January last year during Hasina's visit to Delhi.<br /><br />Speaking after his meeting with Bangladesh finance minister A M A Muhith, Krishna said under the $ 1 billion Line of Credit, 12 projects have been approved by the two sides.<br /><br />‘We get along with Pak civilian leaders’ <br /><br />Dhaka, DHNS:Observing that India gets along famously with the civilian leadership of Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday said a new chapter has been opened in the bilateral relationship between the two countries. As a question cropped up during his interaction with editor on whether India was comfortable while dealing with civilian leadership or dictatorial ones, Krishna said the relationship has seen a change for the better after the February 2011 meeting between foreign ministers of the two countries. </p>
<p>During his hour-long interaction with editors here, Krishna was asked about the remarks of the PM that 25 per cent of population in Bangladesh was anti-India but the minister drove home the point strongly that Singh has highest regard and affection for the people in the neighbouring country.<br /><br />“I met PM on Monday and he has conveyed that his affection for Bangladeshi people is always there. It is consistent with his thinking that India and Bangladesh have a shared destiny and we will have to work with each other with full trust. We may have trust deficit with some countries but there is no reservation on the part of India and people of India about strong relations with Bangladesh. History will judge us differently if we do not live up to expectations”.<br /><br />Krishna had to face the issue on board from journalists accompanying him. “I would not say that PM’s statement created controversy. The very fact that the PM spoke to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina [on Monday] is indicative of the fact that PM believes in a closer India-Bangladesh relationship. Singh is a champion of closer relationship of the two countries. I am sure no adverse inference will be drawn by people of Bangladesh from PM’s remarks which were intended to be off the record but figured in official transcript”.<br /><br /> He asserted he did not expect hostility during his Dhaka visit because of the controversy.<br />Krishna said India has always been wanting to forge a strong relationship with Bangladesh. He stressed that the bilateral relations were passing though the best phase in recent times with a number of new and forward looking initiatives taken by the leadership of two countries following the visit of Prime Minister Hasina to India in January 2010. “We are passing through a momentus juncture in our relationship”, he remarked.<br />Krishna, who will review the entire gamut of relationship with Bangladesh ahead of the PM’s visit here in early September, will sign several "bilateral documents" on transit, a 15 year interim accord on Teesta river water-sharing, joint ventures in power sector and development projects under the one billion dollar Line of Credit extended by India in January last year during Hasina's visit to Delhi.<br /><br />Speaking after his meeting with Bangladesh finance minister A M A Muhith, Krishna said under the $ 1 billion Line of Credit, 12 projects have been approved by the two sides.<br /><br />‘We get along with Pak civilian leaders’ <br /><br />Dhaka, DHNS:Observing that India gets along famously with the civilian leadership of Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday said a new chapter has been opened in the bilateral relationship between the two countries. As a question cropped up during his interaction with editor on whether India was comfortable while dealing with civilian leadership or dictatorial ones, Krishna said the relationship has seen a change for the better after the February 2011 meeting between foreign ministers of the two countries. </p>
