DHAKA: Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni Sunday revealed that Bangladesh will provide transit facilities to India for transporting goods and products to their landlocked northeastern states, known as seven sisters.

She said Bangladesh will also allow Nepal and Bhutan to use Chittagong and Mongla seaports to trade with a third country as India will permit those two landlocked Himalayan countries to use India’s territories to cross over into Bangladesh.

“We will allow India to have access to its northeastern states through Bangladesh,” Dipu Moni told reporters in clear terms at a regular press briefing at the Foreign Ministry.

“We will now fix the modalities as to how they will go through us and what would be the fee, etc,” she said, a day after Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced that India will allow Nepal transit to Bangladesh.   

“We are also taking steps to speed up implementation of the decision allowing Nepal and Bhutan to use two Bangladeshi ports,” Moni said.

Following the agreement with India, she said, Nepalese trucks will come to Bangladesh while Bangladeshi trucks will also go to Nepal in cross-border haulage.

The Foreign Minister explained that the implementation of transit would not require any other agreement--only exchange of letters would do it.

Asked if rail connectivity would also take place with Nepal and Bhutan, Moni said Bangladesh does not have rail line at all the places to connect the Himalayan countries.

“At some places, we will have to upgrade while at many places we will have to install. We have started the implementation and, hopefully, all the countries will be connected soon,” she said.  

In response to criticism about the signing of a deal with an Indian bank, Dr Moni commented that the Indian government is providing the line of credit through the bank, which is not unusual.

If the railways and roads of Bangladesh are developed, it will not only serve India but also help Bangladesh as well, she said.  
 
The Foreign Minister said the money is being borrowed from India in Bangladesh’s interest, which will benefit India and others who will be connected with Bangladesh subsequently. “We took the loan as it will be a win-win situation for us,” she said in reply to the critics.

She termed the pace of implementation of the Indo-Bangla joint-communique signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India on January 10 this year as ‘satisfactory’. “Some portions were implemented and some others were yet to be implemented.”

Referring to 14 projects to be implemented with the Indian credit, she said the project implementation will speed up and be completed soon. “Initiative will be taken soon for the remaining projects.”

On the planned train trip of Mamta Banerjee, she said the Indian Minister will pay her visit in September on the ‘Sonar Tari Express’.

BDST: 1842 HRS. AUGUST 5, 2010