Indo-Bangla must grow together: Pranab
Mentioning that India and Bangladesh are interlinked, Indian
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the two close neighbours must
develop and grow together, ensuring that the growth provides more
opportunities for peoples in both countries. “We need to
work together to maximize the potentials of our economic cooperation,”
he said, while delivering the convocation speech at the 47th Convocation
of the Dhaka University held at the DU central playground. President
Zillur Rahman was the chief guest at the convocation while DU Vice
Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique also spoke on the occasion.
The
Indian President noted that Bangladesh is uniquely placed to exploit
its natural and human resources to emerge as a fast growing, modern
economy. He said both countries have made
considerable progress in the implementation of the far-reaching
decisions taken during the historic visits of the Prime Ministers of
India and Bangladesh to each others country. “I assure you, India
remains committed to implementing the decisions that have been taken.” Pranab Mukherjee noted that India and Bangladesh have vast opportunities to increase bilateral trade and commerce. He
said the Indian government proposes to introduce a `Constitutional
Amendment Bill’ in Loksabha (parliament) to give effect to the
provisions of the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh and its 2011
Protocol. “We’re committed to working closely with
Bangladesh to avoid any untoward incidents on our border. We can
together make it a gateway of peace and mutually beneficial
cooperation.”
The Indian President said the sharing
of the waters of common rivers is a high priority for India and
Bangladesh. “We’ve successfully forged agreements in the past and are
hopeful of arriving at an early accord on the sharing of the Teesta
waters.” He added: “Meanwhile, there are areas where
we must substantially increase our cooperation, such as in information
technology, skill development, agricultural research, environment
protection, climate change, and in protecting the Sunderbans and
harnessing energies, both traditional as well as new and renewable
sources of energy.” Pranab Mukherjee said Bangladesh
now has duty-free access to India’s large market and invited
Bangladesh’s industry to make full use of this opportunity. “We’re
working with the Government of Bangladesh to remove the remaining
non-tariff barriers, open more border haats and harmonise our respective
standards.”
Praising Bangladesh for its efforts
towards achieving socioeconomic development, he said that in many social
indicators, Bangladesh has acquitted itself in an exemplary manner. The
school textbook programme of Bangladesh is known to be one of the
largest in the world. Pointing at the new graduates,
Pranab Mukherjee, an all-time friend of Bangladesh, said: “Young men
and women like you are the engine of socio-economic development of our
region. The future of Bangladesh is in your hands. You should know that
you have a past which is steeped in glory, and a future that is full of
promise. “Looking at you, I am convinced that the
future of Bangladesh is bright. I wish you all every success in making
the dream of `Sonar Bangla’ a reality. India will stand by your side as
you shape the destiny of your country,” he added.
About
the ongoing visit, emotion-choked Indian President said: “For me
personally, this is an emotional journey. I have my roots in the soil of
Bengal, and have imbibed its language, traditions and culture. When I
was a child I never dreamt that one day I would come here as the
President of my country.” He continued: “I have
grown up reading the compositions of the same poets as you, listening to
the same songs which both our people love, and walked along the banks
of the same rivers which inspire the songs that make us all similarly
wistful.”
Source: The Daily Star
