Dialogue and diplomacy key to resolving water-sharing issues with India: Bangladesh minister

Dhaka: The long-standing water-sharing issues between Bangladesh and India must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, a junior minister said on Thursday.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir also said that progress in talks would be possible if the leadership of both sides demonstrated the political will to move forward through cooperation, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

“It is only through discussion, dialogue, and diplomacy that these matters will have to be resolved. The positions of international law are also being taken into consideration. So, this is where we stand right now,” he told reporters after attending a seminar titled 'Rethinking Water Futures: Youth Leadership, Justice and Cooperation' here.

Responding to questions on trans-boundary rivers and the future of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, Kobir said discussions between Bangladesh and India were continuing and stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation.

“Discussions and dialogues are ongoing and will continue,” he said.

Kobir said an amicable and positive outcome would depend on sincerity and willingness to cooperate at all levels on both sides.

“If there is sincerity between both countries… at the senior official level, leadership level, and among the water negotiators working from both sides… we will certainly achieve an amicable and positive resolution on this issue,” he said.

The minister said that Bangladesh had formed a committee to examine the issues, while the Indian side was also reviewing matters through its own mechanisms.

“If the leadership possesses the mindset to come forward and cooperate, we will certainly achieve an amicable and positive resolution,” he asserted.

Bangladesh and India share 54 transboundary rivers and address water-related issues through the Joint Rivers Commission.

The Teesta water-sharing issue has remained a major irritant in India-Bangladesh water cooperation for decades.

The Teesta issue is separate from the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed by India and Bangladesh in 1996 for 30 years and due to expire in December 2026.

In August, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee had said Bangladesh does not want its friendly ties with India to deteriorate over the Teesta water-sharing agreement.

"The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours," Anee had said. "A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate."

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