Economic integration, technical integration key to intra state ties, says Bangladesh envoy

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Syed Muazzem Ali, on Saturday said that economic integration and technical integration is the key to intra-state ties between India and Bangladesh.

"Economic integration and technical integration is the key to intra state ties. The present state of Bangladesh-India relations are the 'best ever' in the country's history relationship ever since 1974. Other problems will be resolved with sincerity. We should look into the future instead of resolving past issues. I hope for more people to people contact through innovative checkposts in Bagdogra," Ali said at the Press Club of India.

"Last year we achieved a significant milestone in resolving 68 year-old Line of Agreement. Not many people know that it took 68 years to resolve the issue," he added.

The Parliament had yesterday passed a bill to amend electoral laws for a limited delimitation exercise to grant voting rights to people of the former enclaves of Bangladesh, with the Rajya Sabha adopting it without any debate.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh last year, it was decided that Bangladeshi enclaves in India and Indian enclaves in Bangladesh shall stand physically transferred to the other country.

There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India which are to be exchanged following the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and 2011 Protocol and instruments of ratification of which were exchanged during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bangladesh on June 6 and 7 last year.