Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj hands over a gift to prime minister Sheikh Hasina after a meeting at Ganabhaban in the capital on Sunday. — BSS photo
Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said Myanmar must take back its displaced nationals to Rakhine State as she called on prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her Ganabhaban residence in the capital.
‘It’s a big burden for Bangladesh, and how long will Bangladesh bear this?’ the Indian minister said referring to the influx of the forcibly displaced people who fled their homeland to take shelter in Bangladesh to evade atrocities, according to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
‘Myanmar may punish the terrors, not innocent people,’ premier’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted her as saying during the meeting.
Swaraj, he said, appreciated Bangladesh stance on the Rohingya issue, BSS reports.
Hasina, however, told Sushma said Bangladesh had already established an engagement with Myanmar and the Bangladesh home minister was set to visit the neighbouring county over the crisis.
‘It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state,’ Sushma said in a written statement after the fourth meeting of the foreign minister-level India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission in Dhaka.
Situation in Rakhine State should be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population, she said, with suggestion for a long-term solution to the situation by rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development in Rakhine State.
India also supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report.
Sushma informed Hasina that Indian’s prime minister Narendra Modi advised Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi not to destroy her image in the international arena.
Without mentioning Bangladesh’s request for signing long-pending agreement on sharing of Teesta water, Sushma said at the press conference, ‘We are aware of outstanding issues,’ while the two sides focused on progress in bilateral relationship.
She claimed relations between the two countries were reflective of an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust and understanding that went far beyond a strategic partnership.
Sushma said power supply from India to Bangladesh would be doubled from now 660 MW at the earliest.
In his written statement, foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali reiterated urge to ‘India to contribute towards exerting sustained pressure on Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to the crisis including sustainable return of all Rohingyas’ to their home in Rakhine State.
All said the two sides ‘discussed’ the issue of sharing of water of common rivers including the signing of Teesta Water Sharing Agreement, with reference to a statement of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi that the Teesta agreement would
be signed during the current tenure of prime ministers of the two countries.
Bangladesh side also sought India’s technical and financial support to carry out a feasibility study on the long-term options for Bangladesh to ensure optimum use of Ganges water, he said.
The two ministers co-chaired the JCC meeting where Bangladesh side requested India to facilitate the removal of anti-dumping duty on jute and jute products.
Bangladesh, in the meeting, also proposed Dhaka-Chennai-Colombo air connectivity, Chittagong-Kolkata-Colombo shipping connectivity, Panchgarh-Shiliguri rail link, internet connectivity with Bhutan through Indian territory, opening trade route connecting Nakugaon land port of Bangladesh to Gayleyphug of Bhutan via Dalu of India. The Indian side agreed to positively consider these proposals, Ali said.
The two sides also discussed matters relating to trade, border management, border killing, connectivity and stressed the need for completing expeditiously formalities for implementation of the projects under three lines on Indian credit worth $7.5 billion.
The two ministers witnessed signing of a sales-purchase agreement between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Numaligarh Refinary of India, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Bangladesh Betar and All India Radio.
S Jaishankar, external affairs secretary of India, foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque were also present at the press conference.
It was the fourth meeting of the JCC after the third one was held in New Delhi in September 2014, although the commission was mandated to hold annual meeting to assess progress in agreed areas and give directions to settle outstanding issues. The first meeting of the JCC was held in New Delhi in May 2012 and the second one in Dhaka in February 2013.
Sushma is scheduled to leave Dhaka today.
Nearly 6,03,000 minority Rohingyas, mostly women, children and aged people, fled unbridled murder, arson and rape during ‘security operations’ by Myanmar military in Rakhine to Bangladesh since August 25 to October 19, raising the total number of undocumented Myanmar nationals and registered refugees in Bangladesh to about 10,22,000, according to estimates of UN agencies.
Source: New Age