Momen discusses Teesta, Rohingya

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has asked his new Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to expedite initiatives to resolve the Teesta issue and sought active supports over the Rohingya crisis, at their maiden talks in Tajikistan, a foreign office statement said yesterday.

“He [Momen] drew the Indian counterpart’s attention towards the pending much-expected Teesta (water-sharing) treaty and... the foreign minister sought India’s active support and cooperation in resolving the Rohingya problem,” the statement read.

It said Momen simultaneously urged the Indian counterpart to take effective steps to stop killings on the Bangladesh-India borders by Indian border guards.

The two foreign ministers held their first meeting at a hotel in Tajik capital Dushanbe on Friday, where Momen is accompanying President Abdul Hamid to the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

The Indian foreign minister assured Momen about necessary Indian cooperation regarding the issues, as the Modi government “shows mature sensitivity” in developing friendly relations with neighbouring countries.

Jayshankar, who previously served as India’s top bureaucrat, termed Bangladesh gateway to New Delhi’s “look east economic diplomacy” in view of its geostrategic location and said the feature could benefit both the countries as well as Bimstec, the regional economic forum.

Momen also sought Jaishankar’s cooperation in attracting Indian investment at 100 special economic zones in Bangladesh.

The two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction over the existing cordial bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India, and hoped it will be further expanded in days to come.