Border killings stigmatize friendly ties between Bangladesh and India: FM

GBNEWS24 DESK//

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said that border killings have stigmatized the friendly relations between Bangladesh and India.

“Like you, it (border killings) frustrates us. We want no killing along the border. We’ve very nice relations. It creates a stigma in our friendly relations. We don’t want to see any stigma in our friendly relations,” he told reporters at a post-Summit briefing expressing satisfaction over the virtual Summit between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Premier Narendra Modi on Thursday.

The Foreign Minister said India is committed to zero death along the border and more actions need to be taken through a coordinated border management plan.

He said in some cases people from Bangladesh go deep inside the border, carry arms and bombs. “So, it’s not a one-sided problem. It’s our fault too. We’ve to reduce criminal activities.”

Dr Momen said the two countries stressed that border management is a shared responsibility and both leaders emphasized the need for coordinated and joint patrols to create a crime-free border.

For its part, India’s BSF will continue to exercise maximum restraint and follow a strict protocol of escalation of actions, with the commitment that the use of lethal force would only be in the last resort, in self-defence.

BANGLADESH WANTS TO JOIN ROAD BELT WITH INDIA, MYANMAR, THAILAND

Considering its strategic interests, the Foreign Minister said Bangladesh wants to join a road belt with India, Myanmar and Thailand as the two countries set a “very positive tone” during the virtual Summit to broaden the bilateral relations and explore regional connectivity in an effective way.

Bangladesh also wants to see Bangladeshi goods-laden trucks enter Bhutan and Nepal through India, and sought cooperation from the Indian side in this regard.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the proposals during her virtual Summit with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday.