Kobir: Ganges treaty decision will prioritize Bangladesh’s national interest.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir today said the government would take whatever decision best serves Bangladesh’s national interest regarding the future of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty with India.
“Whatever is best for Bangladesh’s interest will be done,” he told journalists after addressing the concluding day of the Bay of Bengal Conversation at Hotel Sonargaon here.
Asked whether the treaty would be renewed or replaced by a new agreement, Kobir said Bangladesh would act solely on the basis of its national interest and security.
“Whatever is best for Bangladesh’s national interest and security, we will work to ensure that,” he said.
Journalists raised the issue as the current Ganges Water Sharing Treaty with India is approaching expiry in December.
Asked whether any guarantee clause could be incorporated into a future arrangement, Kobir did not spell out a specific formula, reiterating that Bangladesh’s national interest and security would guide the government’s position.
On the state of Bangladesh-India dialogue, the state minister said discussions were continuing at the official level.
He said any top-level dialogue would depend on a visit and that an appropriate environment would first have to be created through official-level engagements.
“A top-level dialogue will happen when a (high level) visit takes place. Otherwise, a conducive environment must first be created through official-level dialogues,” he said.
Kobir said bilateral dialogue was progressing but cautioned that such processes could not be completed overnight or by suddenly fixing a date.
“Dialogues are taking place. But this cannot happen overnight with a fixed date set suddenly,” he said.
Responding to a question about reports of a possible visit by the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to New Delhi in November, Kobir stressed that information on any such visit should come from Bangladesh rather than from reports originating elsewhere.
