Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, described India as a “valued friend” on Sunday and said that the two nations’ “long-standing” water-sharing dispute needed to be settled to help Bangladesh’s population.
Between September 5 and 8, the 74-year-old head of state is slated to visit India, where she will hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet with newly-elected President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar. She last visited india in October of 2019—before the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Sheikh Hasina said: “We are downstream, water is coming from India. So, India should show more generosity. Both countries would be beneficiaries. Sometimes, our people suffer a lot because of this, especially the Teesta River. We found that PM [Narendra Modi] is very eager to solve this but the problem is in your country. We share only Ganges water but we have 54 other rivers. It’s a long-standing problem and should be resolved.”
Praising the decades-long relationship between the two countries Sheikh Hasina said, “Even in 1975, when I lost all my family members, the then-Indian PM gave us shelter in India.”
When asked about Dhaka’s connections with China and India, Hasina responded that the growth of the nation is her top priority.
“Our foreign policy is very clear — friendship to all, malice to none. If there’s a problem, it’s between China and India. I don’t want to put my nose there.”
Sheikh Hasina pushed for bilateral solutions to any problems that might arise between the two nations.
Speaking of the ongoing Rohingya crisis, Sheikh Hasina: “For us, it’s a big burden… On humanitarian grounds, we give them [Rohingyas] shelter and everything, but how long will they stay here? Some engage in drug or women trafficking. As soon as they return, it’s good. We are discussing it with them. India can play a big role,” she said.
Source: Indian Express
