Sep 8, 2011

Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development between India and Bangladesh

September 06, 2011

RECALLING the two countries' shared bonds of history, culture and common values;

 DESIRIOUS of living in peace and harmony with each other and fostering good neighbourly relations based on sovereign equality, non¬interference in each other's internal affairs, and mutual respect and mutual benefit;

 INSPIRED by an abiding faith in and total commitment to democracy, development, pluralism and peaceful co-existence;

 REITERATING their common objective of eradicating poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease and promoting social justice and inclusive growth with a view to enabling their peoples to realize their potential to the full;

 DESIROUS of promoting trans-border cooperation in the management of shared water resources, hydropower potentials and eco-systems and in the areas of connectivity and trade and economic cooperation;

 CONVINCED that cooperation at the bilateral, sub-regional and regional levels will accelerate development and enable the two countries to realise their developmental aspirations, shared destiny and common vision of a peaceful and prosperous South Asia;

 HAVE AGREED as under:

 ARTICLE 1

 To promote trade, investment and economic cooperation, which is balanced, sustainable and builds prosperity in both countries. Both Parties shall take steps to narrow trade imbalances, remove progressively tariff and non-¬tariff barriers and facilitate trade, by road, rail, inland waterways, air and shipping. Both Parties will encourage the development of appropriate infrastructure, use of sea ports, multi-modal transportation and standardization of means of transport for bilateral as well as sub-regional use.

ARTICLE 2

 To enhance cooperation in sharing of the waters of common rivers, both Parties will explore the possibilities of common basin management of common rivers for mutual benefit. The Parties will cooperate in flood forecasting and control. They will cooperate and provide necessary assistance to each other to enhance navigability and accessibility of river routes and ports.

 ARTICLE 3

 To develop mechanisms for technical cooperation and exchange of advance information with respect to natural disasters. The Parties shall ¬also promote training and capacity building initiatives and cooperation between respective disaster management authorities, with a view to upgrading response mechanism.

 ARTICLE 4

 To establish arrangements for cooperation in generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, including electricity from renewable or other sources. The Parties also agree to use power grid connectivity to promote power exchanges to mutual economic advantage.

 ARTICLE 5

 To promote scientific, educational, cultural and people to people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. These shall be implemented through programmes and joint initiatives in areas such as agriculture, education and culture, health, tourism, sports, science & technology and any other area that the Parties may agree. The Parties shall cooperate by means of exchange of data, scientific knowledge, collaborative research, training, common programmes and in any other manner as may be agreed between the two Parties.

 ARTICLE 6

 To develop and implement programmes for environmental protection and responding to the challenges of climate change through adaptation. The Parties shall collaborate on projects of mutual interest to preserve common eco-systems and, as far as practicable, coordinate their response in international fora.

 ARTICLE 7

 To harness the advantages of sub-regional cooperation in the power sector, water resources management, physical connectivity, environment and sustainable development for mutual advantage, including jointly developing and financing projects.

 ARTICLE 8

 To cooperate closely on issues relating to their national interests. Both parties shall work together to create a peaceful environment conducive for inclusive economic growth and development.

 ARTICLE 9

 To cooperate on security issues of concern to each other while fully respecting each other’s sovereignty. Neither party shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the other.

 ARTICLE 10

 To establish a Joint Consultative Commission for effective and smooth implementation of this Agreement that shall meet once a year.

 ARTICLE 11

 The Agreement may be amended by mutual consent in order to enhance, deepen and widen the scope of cooperation, including regional / sub-regional expansion.

ARTICLE 12

 This Agreement shall come into force on the date of its signing by the two Parties and shall remain in force until terminated by mutual consent in accordance with Para 2 of this Article.

 Either Party may seek termination of this Agreement by giving a written notice to the other Party providing the reasons for seeking such termination. Before this Agreement is terminated, the Parties shall consider the relevant circumstances and hold consultations to address the reasons cited by the Party seeking termination in the Joint Consultative Commission.

 Actions taken or agreements reached pursuant to this Agreement shall not be affected by its expiry or termination.

 Done in Dhaka on the Sixth day of September, 2011, in two originals in English Language. [MEA India Press Release].

 PM’s statement prior to his departure to Bangladesh

September 05, 2011

I will be visiting Bangladesh tomorrow at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Her Excellency Ms. Sheikh Hasina. This will be my first bilateral visit to Bangladesh. We attach the highest importance to further developing and strengthening our relations with Bangladesh. Our relations with Bangladesh are rooted in history, culture and the struggle for freedom. Both our countries share common democratic values and development aspirations. During the visit, I will be accompanied by the Chief Ministers of all the Northeast States neighbouring Bangladesh. This reflects our desire to have across the board engagement with Bangladesh, so that the fruits of our cooperation are available to people on both sides of the border.

Our two countries are today witnessing an extraordinary period of cooperation and friendship. My visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress achieved in the implementation of the decisions taken during the historic visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in 2010. It is a matter of satisfaction that we have made concrete progress in several areas such as security, boundary issues, water resources, power connectivity, improvement of border infrastructure, trade facilitation and economic cooperation. Our endeavour will be to sustain and build upon this positive momentum.

I expect my visit to lead to greater cooperation between India and Bangladesh in all these areas. We also expect to conclude concrete agreements which will help us to elevate the level of our cooperation in the traditional areas of cooperation and to develop cooperation in new areas. During my visit, I will call on the President of Bangladesh His Excellency Mr. Mohammad Zillur Rahman, and meet the leaders of other political parties in Bangladesh. I look forward to addressing a cross-section of Bangladeshi society at the Dhaka University. As a close neighbour and friend, India is committed to extending its full support to Bangladesh in its development efforts. Our partnership with Bangladesh is important for the stability and prosperity of own Northeast region. It is a partnership which can have a profound positive impact on the South Asian region as a whole. [MEA India Press Release]

September 05, 2011

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, accompanied by Shrimati Gursharan Kaur, would be paying a state visit to Bangladesh on the 6th and 7th of September at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh.

 The members of the Prime Minister’s delegation include the External Affairs Minister; the Chief Ministers of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya; the National Security Advisor; the Foreign Secretary; the Secretary (Water Resources), and other senior officials.

 The main elements of the programme include a call on the President of Bangladesh; both restricted and delegation-level talks between the two Prime Ministers; calls on the Prime Minister by the Foreign Minister, the Finance Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the President of the Jatiya Party.

 The Prime Minister would lay a wreath at the National Martyrs Mausoleum and also visit the Bangabandhu National Museum to pay homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the valiant son of Bangladesh.

 The Prime Minster is also scheduled to deliver an important address on “India, Bangladesh and South Asia” at the Dhaka University on the 7th.

 The bilateral visit by the Prime Minister is happening after a gap of 12 years. It aims at consolidating the process set in motion during the landmark visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January, 2010, to craft a new paradigm in our relations. We are trying to put in place a broad-based agenda of cooperation in areas including trade and investments, infrastructure, power, water resources, border management, education, cultural contacts, people-to-people exchanges, better border and transport infrastructure or what is called connectivity.

 Both sides are determined to iron out any divergences and lay a firm foundation of mutually beneficial engagement, to enhance trust, cooperation and stability not only between our countries but in South Asia as a whole. Substantial progress has been made first of all in implementing the decisions taken during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister last year. These include, if I may list them:

 Boundary-related issues:

 1. We have had the joint headcount in the enclaves which was conducted in July 2011.

 2. The Joint survey of territories under adverse possession which was conducted in West Bengal, Tripura , Assam and Meghalaya.

 3. Electrification of Dahagram and Angarporta.

 4. Commencement of the signing of the strip maps on August 20, 2011.

 Border Management/Security:

 1. We have had a Coordinated Border Management Plan which was signed between the two sides in July, 2011 when our Home Minister Shri P. Chidambaram had visited Dhaka.

 2. There is the ratification of the three security-related agreements signed during the visit of PM Sheikh Hasina last year.

 Water Sector:

 1. We have had the 37th meeting of the Joint River Commission held in March, 2010.

 2. We have had the principles of water-sharing agreements finalized at the Secretary-level meeting in January, 2011.

 3. The Dredging of the Ichamati river, which was mentioned at that time, has been undertaken and completed.

 4. River bank protection and embankment repair works of various common river ways is underway.

 5. Exchange of information on flood forecasting is taking place regularly.

 Power sector:

 1. The Bulk Power Transmission Agreement was signed in June, 2010.

 2. There was a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and our NTPC to undertake a feasibility study in Khulna and Chittagong, which was signed in August last year.

 3. The construction of transmission lines and HVDC station for India-Bangladesh Grid Connectivity has in fact commenced.

 Trade/Connectivity:

 1. The Ashuganj and Silghat have been declared as ports of call with customs notification carried out in Silghat.

 2. An MoU on border haats for border trade was signed in October, 2010, and the border haat at Kalaichar in Meghalaya was inaugurated in July, 2011.

 3. There has been an increase in the TRQ (Tariff Related Quota) from 8 million to 10 million pieces of garments announced in April, 2011 during the visit of our Commerce Minister to Bangladesh.

 4. The movement of Over-size Dimensional Cargo (ODC) through the Ashuganj route has commenced. This is for the Palitana power plant.

 5. The Finalisation of alignment for the Akhaura-Agartala rail link and the Sabroom-Ramgarh Land Customs Station has been undertaken.

 6. We have finalized the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for movement of trucks from Bhutan and Nepal into Bangladesh.

 7. We have concluded the SOP for the facilitation of movement of trucks between the Land Customs Stations between India and Bangladesh.

 8. The Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement has been ratified.

 As regards of Lines of Credits Projects you would recall that India had agreed to extend the largest ever Line of Credit of one billion dollars to Bangladesh, when Sheikh Hasina was here. I am happy to tell you that 13 of the 20 projects which we considered, which amount to about US$ 750 million, have already been finalized.

 In the area of culture, the joint celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore have been held. In the recent months we have witnessed a number of high-level visits from India to Bangladesh reflective of the great attention that this relationship is receiving. These include the visit of our Commerce Minister in April, 2011, the Hon’ble Vice President in May, External Affairs Minister and Home Minister in July. Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the UPA, also visited Dhaka in July for an autism conference when she was awarded the Bangladesh Swadhinata Sammanona (Bangladesh Freedom Honour) Award on behalf of the late Prime Minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi for the latter’s contribution to the “liberation of Bangladesh”.

 We are pleased at the manner in which our ties have evolved in the recent years. We are particularly appreciative of the sensitivity shown by the Government of Bangladesh to India’s security concerns. Sizeable Indian investments have started to flow into Bangladesh and the pace is likely to pick up in the months and years ahead. Two-way trade has crossed five billion dollars in 2010-11, and Bangladesh exports to India have grown by 68 per cent in the last one year. We acknowledge that there is still a large trade imbalance favouring India, which we are determined to address by providing better market access into India for Bangladeshi goods, and we are also thinking of other imaginative measures. The Prime Minister of India is looking forward to his visit starting tomorrow. [MEA India Press Release]

 Teesta Agreement acceptable to all parties under consideration

 September 05, 2011

 In response to questions on the ongoing discussions on Teesta Agreement with Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said, “The subject of water is a sensitive issue. We have been trying to arrive at an agreement on Teesta which is acceptable to all parties. In our federal scheme of things, nothing is done or will be done without consultations with the State Government. Any agreement that we conclude will have to be acceptable to the State Government; at the same time, it would also have to be acceptable to Bangladesh”. [MEA India Press Release]