Shringla: Teesta Deal May Take Place This Year

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the water-sharing agreement for the Teesta river could take effect this year.

He said this while addressing a question from a journalist at a seminar at Hotel Sonargaon on Monday hosted by Bangladesh Institute of Foreign and Strategic Studies (BIISS).

The seminar was titled "Bangladesh and India: A Promising Future."

As chief guest, foreign affairs advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Gowher Rizvi attended the event.

The Indian foreign secretary said: “India is committed to a mutually acceptable conclusion for sharing the waters of Teesta.”

"While this is a sensitive topic on both sides of the border, there will be our contribution to Bangladesh. We promise you we are trying to have the contract signed as quickly as possible, "said Shringra.

Shringa also affirmed at the workshop that Bangladesh should not be impacted by the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

He outlined the friendship between the two countries which is "most comprehensive and interconnected." "In India these are solely internal," he said.

BIISS Chairman Fazlul Karim, and Indian High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das, among others, spoke at the gathering.