GUWAHATI, July 4 - The 8th India Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue concluded in the city today with adoption of the �Guwahati Declaration� calling for greater people-to-people and business-to-business contacts between the northeastern region of India and Bangladesh as part of the overall aim to ensure sustainable political goodwill and trust, economic growth and shared prosperity between the people of the two countries.
�Preparing a vision document and research report on �NE India and Bangladesh: Borders as Prosperity Zones� and organizing an India-Bangladesh business summit have been suggested in the eighth session. With an aim to ensure sustainable political goodwill and trust, economic growth and shared prosperity of the peoples of India and Bangladesh, the eighth iteration declares its conviction that ensuring greater people-to-people and business-to-business contacts between the North Eastern region of India and Bangladesh is crucial,� said the Declaration.
The 8th India Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue had started on July 2.
The Declaration added, �Particularly matters related to innovation, entrepreneurship, healthcare, education, tourism, human resource development, technology, finance, industrial production, manufacturing, agro-processing, freights and shipping, power generation and energy security are of strategic importance for both New Delhi and Dhaka. To delay a closer economic integration in such areas would, thus, be tantamount to contravening the strategic interests of the two governments...�
The Declaration stated that India and Bangladesh share a special bond which is �generic, granular and unbroken by sovereign boundaries of post-Westphalian republics. The bond is civilizational and is sanctified by the blood of those martyrs who fought together for the glorious independence of Bangladesh in 1971.�
It further added, �The Eighth Dialogue is now convinced that the visionary progress made by the two countries over last seven years, and in particular with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in 2015 and the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in 2017, ought to continue in stronger strides and deserves stronger institutional attention from the relevant ministries and agencies of the two governments.�
The Declaration stated that the latest round of Dialogue has carefully assessed the impact of the changing world order on peace, stability and prosperity of South Asia, and in particular of India and Bangladesh.
�It has re-assessed and measured progress in the areas discussed in the sixth and seventh rounds, particularly in managing peaceful and prosperous international borders and security, water security and Joint Basin Management, energy security and cross border generation and trade in power, connectivity and Integrated Multimodal Communication, with special emphasis on utilizing inland waterways, sub-regional and regional development and utilization of mega-architectures such as regional and continental highways, rail networks, sea ports and coastal shipping, and investment, production, manufacturing and service sector complementarities,� said the document.
