CPD led a high profile Bangladesh delegation to participate in a dialogue on Indo-Bangladesh Relations held on 4-5 October 2012 at New Delhi, India. CPD in association with the Asian Institute of Transport Development (AITD), New Delhi organised the dialogue to explore avenues to deepen bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and India.
Particularly focusing on trade and investment cooperation, transport and connectivity, water sharing, cooperation between media, and bilateral relationship between lawmakers of the two countries, the dialogue intended to come up with constructive and practical solutions to issues which are critical to advancing bilateral cooperation in the identified areas.
High level policymakers, experts and scholars from India participated in the dialogue. Apart from the dialogue, the delegation met the Hon’ble President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee. President Mukherjee was apprised of the objective of the dialogue and the constructive discussion took place in the dialogue. Acknowledging the dialogue process between the policymakers and the scholars of the two countries, President Mukherjee remarked it as significant in identifying critical areas where intervention from senior policymakers was required to bring into attention of the respective governments. He also called for speeding up implementation process of the decisions taken at the highest political level to improve India-Bangladesh relations.
The delegation also met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mr Arun Jaitley and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India Mr Shivshankar Menon. Led by Professor Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, CPD, the 13-member delegation included Professor Dr Gowher Rizvi, International Affairs Advisor to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, MP; Mr Reza Ali, MP; Ambassador Nazrul Islam Khan, Member, National Standing Committee, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); Ambassador Farooq Sobhan, Former Foreign Secretary; Mr A K Azad, President, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI); Mr Matiur Rahman, Editor, Prothom Alo; Mr Mahfuz Anam, Editor, The Daily Star; Dr Ainun Nishat, Vice Chancellor, BRAC University; Dr Rahmatullah, Former Director, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP); Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, CPD and Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director, CPD.
CPD had been pursuing such bilateral dialogues over the last decade on wide ranging issues of interests of the two countries.