For a better bilateral relation between India and Bangladesh

June 25: Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon’s three day long visit to Bangladesh is expected to be fruitful in many respects. Starting from today both countries are going to participate in a series of bilateral talks that would help in developing stronger ties between the neighbours.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed in the Secretary level talk and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain has briefed a newspaper that the entire problems of bilateral relations will be in the discussion.

However, India is expected to focus on issues like security, cross-border illegal migration, peaceful border management, cooperation in water management as of some common rivers, cultural exchange and trade links. These are some of the issues that are to be addressed officially.

As far as trade links are concerned there would be effort to remove non-tariff barriers that raise the price of Bangladeshi goods with Indian custom charges. In the process the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institutions (BSTI) is likely to sign an agreement permitting BSTI to test and certify Bangladeshi products for export to India.

New Delhi and Dhaka will also discuss issue of joint-border patrolling and border demarcation issues. As the relation between the two countries are strained in recent years due to some extremist struggle in north-east Indian states bordering Bangladesh and illegal migrants, this talk stands much value for renewing a better bilateral relation.