Bangladesh seeks India’s support to join BRICS under any format: FM

Bangladesh has sought support from India to join BRICS under any format, either as a member or a partner country, said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday.

“We’ve sought support from India to join BRICS under any format,” he said while briefing reporters about the outcomes of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s engagements, including her bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, reports UNB.

The Bangladesh foreign minister said India responded positively in this regard (overextending help towards Bangladesh to join BRICS).

If BRICS decides to add new members or partner countries, Bangladesh wants to be associated with BRICS anyway, he said.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation with nine member states: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Bangladesh prime minister arrived here on Friday on a two-day state visit to India at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Sheikh Hasina had a tête-à-tête (one-to-one meeting) with Modi, led the Bangladesh delegation at a bilateral meeting, and witnessed the exchange of 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), including two shared visions and three renewed MoUs at Hyderabad House.

The foreign minister said the delegation level talks featured many issues of bilateral interest that include connectivity, joint management and water sharing of 54 common rivers, trade, security, border management, the introduction of quotas for Bangladesh to import essential commodities from India, and quick medical visas for Bangladeshis.

During the meeting, the issue of connectivity was elaborately discussed, and India expressed interest so that India's eastern states can use Chattogram and Mongla ports, he said.

About border killing, Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh and India are politically interested in bringing down border killing at zero level, but such incidents occur there. So, the issue came up for discussion to end the border killings.

Noting that Bangladesh and India share 54 common rivers, he said the matter of developing joint river management for the rivers prominently came up at the delegation-level bilateral meeting.

Joint river management is important as it can help us fight together against the adverse impacts of climate change and floods, protect the environment, and address the concerning issues in various climate-related events, he said.

Hasan said Bangladesh is set to import electricity from Bhutan and Nepal and has already signed an agreement with Bhutan to this end.

He said Bangladesh has talked about the matter with India, to which they gave a very positive response.

Bangladesh sought the introduction of a quota system for Bangladesh to import essential commodities such as onion, oil, wheat and sugar from India.

"We’ve sought a specific quota for this purpose so that they won’t stop the abrupt export of essential items to Bangladesh," he said.

Replying to a question, the Foreign Minister Teesta project was also discussed during the bilateral meeting with India.

India has expressed its desire to assist Bangladesh in the implementation of the Teesta project, he said, adding that other countries have also expressed their willingness to this matter.

Technical committees of both countries will sit together to pursue the matter, he continued.

He also said India hasn’t expressed any objection regarding China to this end.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh had sought help from India to send back 12 lakh forcibly displaced Rohingya to their motherland, Myanmar.

In reply to another question, the minister said he himself brought up the issue of resolving the existing problem over Indian medical visa for Bangladeshis by cutting the duration of issuing medical visas.

Bangladeshis are currently facing problems getting medical visas as it takes a long time, he said.

The Indian prime minister has already asked the authorities concerned to resolve the problem.

India has been working to update their software and issue e-visas for resolving the problem, he said.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India M Mustafizur Rahman and PM's Press Secretary Md Nayeemul Islam Khan were present during the briefing.