India, Bangladesh ink pact; say no trust deficit

After inking the pact during the second day of his visit to Dhaka, External Affairs Minister S M Krisha and his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni underlined the seriousness under which the two countries were working to take the relations forward.

The two leaders stressed this point at a joint press conference they addressed even as journalists time and again raised the issue of the controversy generated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks last week that a quarter of Bangladesh was anti-India.

Krishna, who met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after holding a lengthy delegation-level talks with Moni, said he told Hasina that Singh had conveyed his tremendous affection and admiration to the people of Bangladesh.

“This has been PM’s view as we look forward to our friendship with Bangladesh. The  Bangladesh–India relations could be a role model to other countries in this region. I mentioned this to Hasina and said our relationship could set the trend for others.”
“India is our neighbour on three sides and is our most important neighbour. Our ties are not just based on geography. We are now seeing results of the joint communiqué issued during Hasina’s visit to Delhi in January 2010. We are going through one of the best periods of relationship which is absolutely in the right direction, pace is satisfactory, we will see fruition,” Moni said.

The two countries signed agreements on exchange of instruments of ratification in respect of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and Standard Operating Procedure for entry of trucks from Bhutan into their territories near the border.
Krishna said the two sides have made significant forward movement in cooperation in the power sector, including establishment of grid connectivity up to 500 MW of power from India of which 250 MW will be at a preferential rate. Sonia to visit Dhaka on July 25

In a move to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh, chairperson of the ruling UPA Sonia Gandhi will visit Dhaka on July 25 and 26, DHNS reports from New Delhi.
Sonia has been invited by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to participate at a conference on autism and also to receive an award conferred posthumously on Indira Gandhi for her contribution to Bangladesh’s war of Independence in 1971.