Dhaka, (Samajweekly) Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury sought India’s cooperation on issues pertaining to the Rohingya and the energy sector.
Chaudhury mentioned that India gave shelter and all kinds of support to the Bangladeshi refugees during the Great War of Liberation, which the people of her country remember with due respect.
She further asked for support for the peaceful repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their homeland – Myanmar. The Speaker made the call when Indian High Commissioner Pranay Kumar Verma paid a courtesy call to her at Sangsad Bhaban office in the capital.
“The diplomatic wisdom and ideological leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi set the foundation for the historical relationship between the two countries,” Chaudhury asserted.
The High Commissioner said that if India-Bangladesh can face the global challenges jointly, the socio-economic conditions would be improved further.
Verma acclaimed Bangladesh’s “unprecedented development” under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said the relationship between the people of India and Bangladesh is very cordial. He said the cultural heritage of both countries is identical, adding that the historical relations between the two countries can be further strengthened through the exchange of visits by parliamentary delegations.
During the visit, they discussed mutual interests, including the long friendship between the closest neighbour India and Bangladesh, expanding commerce and trade, economic progress, cooperation in the energy sector, climate change, and women empowerment.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India-Bangladesh relations became stronger and consolidated, and the Ganges water sharing treaty and the land boundary agreement with India were also signed, the Speaker said.
Mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and India in the fields like climate change, women empowerment, and regional peace and security will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, she added.
Further, noting that a delegation led by Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary recently visited Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad, she expressed eagerness to invite India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to the celebration of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh national assembly.
Senior officials of the Bangladeshi parliament secretariat were present during the meeting.
