Teesta issue: PM Hasina holds meeting with Mamata
With an agreement on water-sharing of Teesta river in limbo, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today held an over hour-long meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and discussed a range of bilateral issues.
Emerging from the meeting that began at Hasina's suite of Taj Bengal Hotel around 6:15pm (local time), Hasina told media that she wants friendly and coordial relations between the two countries.
Hasina, who is on a day's visit to Kolkata to inaugurate and watch India's maiden day-night Test match against Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens stadium, said "we would always remain grateful for the role played by India during our liberation war. We will never forget it.
"India provided shelter to more than one crore refugees from Bangladesh," she said recalling the memories of the Liberation War.
Besides, Mamata said "she had a very "cordial" meeting with Hasina and discussed bilateral ties. However, she did not elaborate or mention the issues discussed.
"I had a very cordial meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister. It was just a courtesy meeting. We discussed a lot of matters regarding bilateral ties," the Chief Minister said.
"Hope the relationship between the two countries will flourish further in the days to come," Mamata said without specifying any issue they discussed.
This was the first meeting between Hasina and Mamata in more than two years since they met in New Delhi in April 2017 when the Prime Minister paid an official visit to India.
Mamata has been resisting the Teesta deal, which is a vital lifeline for northern Bangladesh particularly during the lean season, since September, 2011 when she refused to sign the agreement and opted out of a visit to Dhaka along with the then Indian PM Manmohan Singh.
The Indian government has since then repeatedly assured Bangladesh that New Delhi was committed to the Teesta deal but was trying to bring the West Bengal Chief Minister on board because water is a state subject.
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