Bangladesh and India to open northeast border for trade
In a bid to facilitate trade among the two countries as well as with other South East Asian countries Bangladesh and India have decided to open up the region for trade and transit.
The decision was taken during the meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Delhi last week.
During the meeting, Sheikh Hasina invited the Indian Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) Minister G Kishen Reddy to Dhaka along with all the chief ministers of the north eastern states for a three day interaction, reports Times of India.
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"India has agreed to our proposal. We have to send them a formal invitation through the ministry of external affairs. Our Prime Minister has said in Delhi that she will be waiting for the delegation to land in Dhaka," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam in Bangladesh said on Saturday.
Dhaka is also preparing to send a foreign ministry team to Assam and other North East states, Shahriar Alam added.
Hasina, who returned to Dhaka on 8 September, is said to be extremely hopeful on this count. India and Bangladesh share 4,096 km land border, of which 1,880 km is shared with the northeastern states of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
However, the north eastern states of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland also will benefit equally, in terms of economic prosperity if the trade and transit routes from Bangladesh opens up.
The joint statement issued by the two Prime Ministers on 7 September, also devotes significant space to the bilateral focus on India's north eastern states.
Dhaka views this as a big gain in bilateral relations with India.
