Momen leaves for Guwahati to attend river conference

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today (May 27, 2022) left for Guwahati to attend the third edition of international river conference titled, "NADI Conclave", from May 28-29 that will be inaugurated by his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

The Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) conference will articulate collective vision of cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asian region.

It will be organised by Shillong-based think tank Asian Confluence in collaboration with the Union External Affairs Ministry, Act East Policy Affairs Department of the Assam government, North Eastern Council and other partners.

The Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies is the country partner for the event and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IIT Guwahati and Guwahati University are knowledge partners.

"A well-planned collaboration with the states of Northeast and neighbouring countries on management of shared waters can alleviate disasters to a large extent and catapult the region to being a hub of connectivity and green commerce," Asian Conclave Executive Director Sabyasachi Dutta told reporters in Guwahati, reports PTI.

The conference will focus on the region south of Himalayas from Ganga, Brahmaputra to Mekong as a contiguity of river basins with common challenges that require close cooperation beyond political borders.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and high commissioners and ambassadors of several countries of South and Southeast Asia will be present. Nirmala Sitharaman, union minister of Finance of India, will deliver the valedictory address of the conclave on May 29, Sabyasachi Dutta said.

The conference is aimed at building confidence in the key role of Northeast in taking forward India's strategic initiative for energy and water security in the neighbourhood and the Bay of Bengal region leading towards a vibrant and secure Indo-Pacific, he added.

"NADI uses the symbols and narratives of our shared rivers and shared waters to encourage shared ideas on collaboration with emphasis on 5Cs — Connectivity, Culture, Commerce, Conservation, and Collaboration — in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin," he added.

Foreign ministry officials said the conference is an opportunity for Bangladesh to present Dhaka's positions on water sharing and basin-wide management of the rivers. The two countries have 54 transboundary rivers.

In 2011, Bangladesh and India failed to sign the Teesta Water-Sharing Agreement due to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's last-minute opposition during the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka. The issue is yet not resolved.

Meanwhile, Dhaka and Delhi are working on the deal of water-sharing of six small rivers -- Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, and Dudhkumar.

All these issues as well as better management of the transboundary rivers will also come up during the conference, officials said.

On May 29, Momen will travel to Delhi from Guwahati to hold the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting with his counterpart S Jaishankar. Apart from discussing a wide range of issues of bilateral relations, they will also talk on the preparation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India later this year.