Hn_Ani2_Bangladesh_Dhaka_Tareq_A_Karim_On_India_Bangladesh_Government_18-17-22

ETVBHARAT

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00:00Then came China and Pakistan.

00:03With Bangladesh, we have resolved our borders.

00:07Having resolved the borders, I can rest,

00:11I can sleep in peace, peacefully,

00:14knowing that my borders are secure

00:17because we have an agreement signed

00:19between two friendly countries.

00:22However, the problem is India's relations with China

00:25are different as are India's relations with Pakistan.

00:29India's relations with Pakistan

00:32are based on very hostile border relations

00:35because a major part of the border is undemarcated,

00:40not just undemarcated, it is disputed

00:43with fundamentally different approach by each side.

00:47With China, that was the case until end of 1998

00:51when the two countries, in their wisdom, I would say,

00:54and I commend them for having taken that step,

00:58decided that, OK, let us not hold hostage

01:02all other relations, meaning trade, economy, culture,

01:05education, everything else.

01:08Let us take those out into one basket

01:11and keep the border, which is a legacy on both sides

01:15from history and colonial mismanagement,

01:19on the other side.

01:20And so that's what they did.

01:22They took the border out.

01:24They had some rules of engagement

01:27that there will be no shooting war or eyeball

01:29to eyeball confrontation, which largely they have observed.

01:33But the trade at that time was a total layover

01:37of $100 million.

01:39Today it's several billion dollars

01:41and going into tens of billions of dollars.

01:44Perhaps that was a more pragmatic approach.

01:47And I think they are now so heavily intermeshed

01:52with each other in the global trade and economy,

01:55I think that perhaps they will move further along

01:59to normalizing.

02:01Even in the last standoff they had in the Himalayas,

02:05there was no shooting.

02:06No shot was fired.

02:09Yes, some people died, but that was

02:11more from physical confrontation than a shooting war.

02:16So in that context, we should try and develop

02:22good cooperation with as many neighbors as we can.

02:25I certainly would like to have trade relations with Pakistan.

02:28I would like to have direct relations with Pakistan.

02:31But how do you communicate with each other directly?

02:33You have to do it either by air or by sea,

02:37which is longer circuitous.

02:39The land trade, which would be the cheapest

02:42or through the rivers, through which we were once connected,

02:44railways and rivers, cannot happen

02:47until relations between those two countries are normalized.

02:51So you just mentioned that the Bangladesh and India border

02:55has resolved the outstanding issues.

02:59Despite that, we are watching the disappointment

03:03with each other.

03:05We have seen the Bangladesh foreign minister

03:07Samuel Engel, a high commissioner,

03:10and expressed concern.

03:11And India also said that they have the right

03:14to fence the border for the security.

03:17So how do you look at this?

03:18Despite the permanent, there is no dispute

03:22like the India-Pakistan or India-China border.

03:25But despite that, the situation, the tension is going on.

03:31So how do you look at this?

03:33Well, if Indians are putting up a fence

03:37on their side of the border and not ours,

03:39we cannot contest that.

03:40It is the sovereign right.

03:42If we want, we can set up a fence on our side of the border

03:45to counter that.

03:47Our response is that we do not welcome

03:51such fencing between two geographically located

03:57neighbors, which are supposed to be friendly to each other.

04:02These are construed as acts which

04:05display a certain sense of suspicion or hostility.

04:10And there, I think we should engage, activate

04:13our diplomatic channels and links.

04:15We have a format for border consultation

04:20between officials of the two sides.

04:23We should upgrade the activation of these bodies

04:27and try and defuse it.

04:29I am confident that both the countries

04:32will be able to resolve all problems that are arising

04:37or have been existing through friendly negotiations,

04:42or negotiations at least in an atmosphere of cordiality

04:47and mutual understanding.

04:50Thank you very much.

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