Security is one of the strongest areas of co-operation between Bangladesh and India and there are excellent relations between military and security personnel of the two neighbours, Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla said yesterday. While addressing on a topic titled ‘Contemporary India: its Foreign Policy, Security & Development Strategy and Bangladesh-India Relations’ at the National Defence College and Armed Forces War College, Bangladesh, he also said that a number of new joint exercises have started and the existing ones have been upgraded.
This was the Indian envoy’s second address at Bangladesh’s National Defence College (NDC) in less than a year. He delivered a lecture on ‘Contemporary India, its Foreign Policy, Security Strategy & Bangladesh-India Relations’ on July 26, 2016. Lt Gen Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy, commandant of the college, also spoke on the occasion.
“The strong defence ties between our countries has manifested in the frequent exchange and interaction between defence personnel of both countries at all levels and in the training exchanges. There has been a significant increase both in qualitative and quantitative terms in the overall profile of our defence and security related engagements,” he said.
“Our defence minister visited Bangladesh in December 2016 and this was the first ever visit by an Indian defence minister to Bangladesh since its independence,” reminded the envoy.
“With the signing of the MoU (memorandum of understanding) on defence co-operation framework during the visit of the Bangladesh prime minister to India (in April), the defence relationship has been institutionalised,” he noted.
“Other documents exchanged during the PM's visit lay a firm basis for Institutional co-operation between the respective NDCs of the two countries; between the Defence Services Staff College here and the Defence Services Command and Staff College in India,” he added.
On terrorism, Shringla described it as a global challenge that affects all and remains one of the most significant threats to peace and stability in the region, and said, “The globalisation of security threats, the networks of terror-financial or physical- which transcend boundaries call for states to pool their resources and co-operate with each other to overcome these challenges.”
“It also calls for the international community to jettison selective or partial approaches to combating terrorism and for early finalisation and adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism by the UNGA.”
The high commissioner said that the fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and eliminate terrorists, terror organisations and networks but also identify, hold accountable and take measures against states and entities which encourage, support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups and falsely extol their virtues.
“India has a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism and we laud your efforts in this direction,” he said.
“India and Bangladesh have excellent security co-operation at all levels. Our border guarding forces often work under challenging circumstances guarding this 4,000 kilometres plus border. The demarcation of the Land Boundary and Maritime Boundary between our two countries has created an enabling environment for our security forces to co-operate and added to their confidence,” Shringla said.
“Close co-operation between the BSF and BGB along the land border keeps in check criminal activities and enhances mutual confidence,” he said.
People-to-people contacts are at the heart of the ‘unique and special relationship’ between the two countries, the envoy said.
“We have fought together in your liberation war of 1971 for the shared values of democracy and secularism. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's rare and extraordinary gesture of honouring of next of kin of Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the Liberation war touched a chord amongst 1.25 billion Indian people,” the envoy recalled.
“A thrust area of co-operation between both countries has been connectivity. Connectivity is part of our own neighbourhood first policy as well as critical for sub-regional co-operation and growth; and for development of both countries,” Shringla said.
“Co-operation in power and energy sector has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. We are looking at a supply of close to 5,000 MW of power to Bangladesh through various kinds of co-operation both in the public and private sector,” he said.
Civil Nuclear energy is another key and emerging area of co-operation especially as Bangladesh is looking to diversify its energy mix and is constructing its first nuclear power plant at Rooppur, said the high commissioner.
“Three agreements were concluded in the area of civilian nuclear energy during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit. We have also initiated discussions for joint investment in hydro-electricity and tripartite co-operation with Bhutan,” he said.
Shringla said that Bangladesh and India will be jointly undertaking the Buriganga River Restoration Project under the new line of credit (LoC), which has synergies with Delhi’s own Namami Gange Project.
About India's foreign policy, security and development strategy, the high commissioner said, “The broad goals of Indian foreign policy are also to create an enabling environment to ensure India’s growth and development. This means ensuring peace and stability in the region so that our energies are focused on development; it means pursuing relations with other countries in a manner that it serves the needs of our people.”