India, Bangladesh conducts Joint Consultative Commission meeting, announces to hold PM level virtual summit in December 2020

The Ministry of External Affairs informed on September 29, 2020 that PM Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will hold a virtual bilateral summit in December 2020.

The Ministry also informed that the entire gamut of bilateral relations between the two nations was reviewed during the 6th round of Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting on September 29, 2020. It was co-chaired by Dr. S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen.

During the meet, the External Affairs Minister emphasized the importance of Bangladesh in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy and reiterated the commitment of India to prioritize the supply of COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh.

Honoured to inform of India’s decision to issue a commemorative stamp on the birth centenary of Bangabandhu on 16 December 2020.

We will now prepare for the Virtual Summit between our Prime Ministers in December 2020.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 29, 2020

Co-chaired the 6th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission with FM Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen.

Comprehensive and productive meeting reviewing the full range of our cooperation. pic.twitter.com/rEQlqvBpZU

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 29, 2020

Highlights of 6th JCC meet between India and Bangladesh:

• The ministers from both the nations reiterated their commitment to the finalization of the agreement for sharing the waters of Teesta and also underscored the need for the early conclusion of Framework of Interim Agreement on sharing the waters of six other joint rivers namely, Muhuri, Manu, Gumti, Khowai, Dudhkumar and Dharla.

• Both the ministers jointly unveiled a commemorative postal stamp issued by the Bangladesh Government on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar also announced India’s decision to launch a commemorative postal stamp on the occasion of birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman on December 16, 2020.

• During the meet, the ministers also noted the discussions on the border management and security in the recently conducted 50th Director-General Level Talks (DGLT)between BGB and BSF in Dhaka.

• The Ministry of External Affairs also informed that both the countries have also agreed to initiate ‘air travel bubble’ flights to meet the requirements of travellers.

• Both the nations also agreed to take forward the cooperation in energy sector, including the third- party projects.

• The request from Bangladesh was also made for informing in advance of the amendments in the export policy that the Indian government may take that can impact India’s export of essential commodities to Bangladesh.

Proposal for Annual Defence Dialogue between India and Bangladesh:

During the 6^th JCC Meeting, both India and Bangladesh expressed satisfaction at the increasing pace of defence cooperation including in exchanges, training and capacity building. The ministers also welcomed the proposal to hold the next meeting of the Annual Defence Dialogue in November 2020.

The External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar thanked Bangladesh for supporting India in its election to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).