Opening speech of FM Dr. A K Abdul Momen in JCC meet in New Delhi
Your Excellency Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs of India,
Distinguished Members of the Delegation
Good afternoon to you all.
It is wonderful to be back in the uniquely historic city of Delhi after our meeting at Guwahati for NADI 3 conference in May. My sincere thanks to you, Excellency, for inviting me for the 7th Joint Consultative Commission between our two countries. I am touched by the warmth and generosity of your hospitality extended to me and to my delegation since the time of our arrival in Delhi.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 6th Joint Consultative Commission between our two countries was held on virtual platform in September 2020. Though we have had the opportunity to meet physically many times including twice in Dhaka when you visited us, the 7th JCC gives us an opportunity to sit together for a timely stocktaking of the status of cooperation and progress in various sectors between our two countries.
The year 2021 was a momentous one for India and Bangladesh as we jointly celebrated three epochal events – Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence and 50th anniversary of establishment of Bangladesh-India diplomatic relations. Both the countries have taken up yearlong programs to celebrate these auspicious occasions. The celebration has reached its peak with the launching of the trailer of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s biopic - ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation’, at the 75th Cannes Festival in France on 19 May 2022. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Government of India and my Indian friends on the occasion of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – the year-long celebrations to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence.
Since the Virtual Summit of 17 December 2021 between the two Prime Ministers and the State Visit by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh on 26-27 March 2021, the concerned authorities on both sides have remained engaged in taking forward the directives, despite the COVID-19 restrictions and challenges. In 2021-22, we saw State Visits by both the Hon’ble President and the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, your visits to Dhaka, Secretary Level Talks of Water, Shipping, Commerce and Power, and Joint Working Group meetings of multiple sectors. All these have been in addition to other initiatives we witnessed such as trade through rail routes, inauguration of new inland waterways route, capacity-building initiatives, the first trial run of Indian cargo from Kolkata to North-East India and of course, cooperation on COVID-19.
Excellency,
Our shared history, geography, culture and values, and shared commitment to peace, security and development have given us unique confidence to forge partnership not only on the bilateral front but on a wide range of issues in various regional and multilateral forums. During the last twelve years, under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, our Government has taken bold steps towards strengthening our relations with India in depth and dimensions. We have attained tangible results in many areas, such as, settling land and maritime boundary demarcation, security, connectivity, development cooperation, cultural exchange, power and energy, trade and commerce, blue economy, defence and so on.
Excellency,
We happily recognise the growing mutual dependency of the economies of Bangladesh and India. We need collective efforts for early recovery from economic devastations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions due to the ongoing conflicts in the Europe. Bangladesh has made a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the volatility of markets following the Ukraine conflict is a cause for concern. We need collective collaborative efforts to sustain our economic growth and maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
I thank you, Excellency!
Jay Bangla!
Jay Bangbandhu!
May Bangladesh- India relations live forever!
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