Mail News Service
\nNew Delhi, Jan 12: The Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari has said that destinies of India and Bangladesh are interlinked. Addressing the 9th Convocation of Tripura University at Agartala today, he said the people of both the countries share in great measure a common history, culture, language and tradition and they have co-operated and faced challenges together. Shri Ansari said our relationship is rooted in shared values and commitment to secularism, multi-party democracy, social justice and fundamental human freedoms.
\nThe Vice President said Tripura shares a special relationship with Bangladesh. He said that having borders with it on three sides, the state and its people had played important roles in the path leading to the birth of Bangladesh. Shri Ansari expressed the confidence that implementing the Joint Communiqu\u00e9s issued after the landmark visits of the two Prime Ministers would cement this special relationship through enhancing connectivity between Tripura and Bangladesh and promoting close people to people and business linkages.
\nThe landmark visits of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January 2010 and of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka last September elevated the bilateral relationship to new heights.
\nBangladesh abuts our North Eastern region and provides critical linkages to its economy, ecology and environment. Indeed, the North Eastern Region Vision 2020 document approved by the North Eastern Council and released by the Prime Minister in July 2008 reflects the commitment of the Union and various State Governments to the comprehensive, inclusive and accelerated development of the region so as to restore its national economic eminence.
\nWe stand committed to fashioning economic and trade arrangements, not only for ensuring closer integration of the region with the national economy but also with the economies of neighbouring countries in the region.
\nThe Vision document has noted that the region should play \u201cthe arrow-head role….in the vanguard of the country\u2019s Look-East Policy\u201d. It specifically calls for \u201cmaking the Look East Policy meaningful for the region\u201d by improving connectivity with markets of neighbouring countries. It notes that \u201copening up the land route through Bangladesh could enormously benefit both countries\u201d and calls for diplomatic efforts focused on \u201cimproving relations with the neighbours\u201d.
\nThe commitment was demonstrated when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was accompanied by Chief Ministers of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram during his visit to Bangladesh in September 2011. This underscores the great interest and enthusiasm of the States of Northeast India in furthering their engagement with Bangladesh.
\nTripura shares a special relationship with Bangladesh. Having borders with it on three sides, the state and its people had played important roles in the path leading to the birth of Bangladesh. We remain confident that implementing the Joint Communiqu\u00e9s issued after the landmark visits of the two Prime Ministers would cement this special relationship through enhancing connectivity between Tripura and Bangladesh and promoting close people to people and business linkages.<\/p>\n\n