India, Bangladesh won't allow misuse of territory

NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh on Saturday reaffirmed their decision to not allow their territories to be used for any activity inimical to each other's interests.

The neighbours decided early completion of pending fencing along 4,096 km India-Bangladesh Border (IBB) as agreed upon by the Prime Ministers' of both the nations.

Both the countries took the decision during the 19th Home Secretary-level talks which was held virtually in the backdrop of 'MujibBarsho' and 50 years of Bangladesh Liberation War and establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The Mujib Year was declared to celebrate the occasion of the centennial birth anniversary of the founding leader of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Bangladesh government declared the Mujib Year starting from March 17, 2020 to December 16, 2021.

The Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Senior Secretary (Public Security Division) Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh led the Bangladesh delegation.

As India and Bangladesh attach highest importance to their bilateral relations, both the Secretaries reiterated their commitment to further expand and strengthen mutual cooperation in security and border related issues.

Both the sides appreciated the cooperation and the action taken to address the menace of terrorism and extremism in an effective manner.

The effective functioning of the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) to curb the illegal cross border activities was also appreciated by both the sides.

They also agreed to further enhance the level of cooperation to prevent the smuggling of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and contraband.

The two sides reviewed the entire gamut of security and border related cooperation and agreed to work closely to fulfill the shared vision of their leadership.

The holding of the inaugural Police Chiefs' Dialogue in January 2021 implementing the decision taken at the Home Minister Level Talks (HMLT) held in August 2019, was noted with appreciation by both the sides.

Bangladesh appreciated the assistance provided by India in the field of training and capacity building for various security agencies. (IANS)

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