Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has expressed her country’s resolve not to allow terrorists to use its land for any subversive activities against the country or neighbours.
Without making any reference to the recent arrest of Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman of the banned Indian separatist outfit ULFA, she said: “We have pledged not to allow our land to be used by any terrorist. We are determined about it.”
The Minister was addressing a Bangladesh-India Dialogue in the capital on Sunday, organised prior to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India on December 18.
She hoped that the visit would settle the disputes between the neighbours. “It [visit] is a huge opportunity, which is expected to bring about a positive change not only in Indo-Bangla relations, but also in regional peace and stability,” Dr. Moni remarked.
The issues to be settled include border disputes; using Indian territory for transit to Nepal and Bhutan; transportation of heavy equipment through the Ashuganj river port for setting up a power plant at Palatana in Tripura and receiving 250 MW of power from the Tripura project; setting up of border markets; state credit assistance for modernising railway; and development of communications infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Many India-Bangladesh experts, including Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes, spoke at the inaugural session.
