Dhaka, Sep.6 (ANI): India and Bangladesh on Tuesday fell short of arriving at a mutually acceptable accord on the sharing of river waters that pass through the two countries.
What was projected to be a path-breaking achievement ahead of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's two-day official visit to Dhaka, the first by an Indian head of government in twelve years, eventually fell through, though Indian officials attending the talks said incremental discussions on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta and Feni had taken place.
Interacting with media after the delegation-level talks, Prime Minister Singh said: " Our common rivers need not be sources of discord, but can be harbingers of prosperity."
"We have decided to continue discussion until we reach an amicable solution on the Teesta and Feni rivers," he added.
Officials said that while there has been no agreement on water sharing, there is a broad consensus on enhancing connectivity between the two nations.
On the transit issue, the two sides could not arrive at an exact roadmap, as it was hinging on the river water pact.
The positves emerging from the talks were agreements on enhancing trade cooperation and resolution of border issues.
Delegations of the two sides signed three agreements after nearly two hours of bilateral talks here.
Both sides inked a protocol on a land boundary agreement. The deal will result in 111 enclaves (600 acres) in Assam being handed over to Bangladesh.
Prime Ministers of the two countries-Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina signed a framework agreement on cooperation and development.
A third agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation in the area of renewable energy was also signed between the two sides.
The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve and boost conservation of the environmetally-rich Sunderbans region.
Another MOU between the Bangladesh Institute of Fashion Technology and the National Institute of Fashion Technology was also signed.
Earlier, bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh began after formal introductions. It began after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh called on his counterpart Sheikh Hasina and also met with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni this afternoon.
The Prime Minister's delegation include External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna; the chief ministers of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya; National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon; Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Water Resources Secretary Dhruv Vijai Singh and other senior officials.
The two sides had both restricted and delegation-level talks on wide range of issues, including cooperation in combatting terrorism, river waters sharing, border management, enhancement of bilateral trade etc. By Smita Prakash (ANI)
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