AMN/ WEB DESK
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said that India Bangladesh relations today are deeper than any other strategic partnership. Speaking at the Swarnim Vijay Varsh conclave in New Delhi on Saturday, the Foreign Secretary said that the relationship between the two countries was a role model for any two neighbouring countries.
The spirit of friendship, understanding and mutual respect engendered during the liberation of Bangladesh continues to permeate different aspects of this relationship, said the Foreign Secretary. Calling the status of relationship between the two countries as the golden era, Shonali Adhyay, Foreign Secretary Shringla said it is geared towards bringing stability and prosperity to people of both the countries.
Foreign Secretary Shringla said that realising the full potential of this partnership would require the continued convergence of strategic, economic and political outlook on both sides as was the case fifty years ago.
Speaking about the people to people ties between the two countries, Foreign Secretary Shringla said that it has been further strengthened through capacity building programmes, scholarship and cultural exchanges.
He reiterated India’s commitment as a partner in Bangladesh’s socio economic growth. He said Bangladesh is India’s biggest development partner and its largest trading partner in South Asia contributing to economic prosperity and supply chain resilience in the region and beyond. Referring to the revival of pre-1965 rail links between the two countries, he said comprehensive connectivity is key to the partnership between the two countries.
Speaking about the current phase of relations between India and Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary Shringla said that in many ways it was a continuation of events that defined the course of history fifty years ago.