GUWAHATI, Dec 24 - The 51st Director General-level border coordination conference between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is being held since December 22 and will conclude on December 26. This is the first time that the DG-level talks have been held outside of New Delhi. As a part of the conference, the Assam Police, on behalf of the Govt of Assam, welcomed the delegations for an informal interaction at the police officers� mess at Kohora yesterday. DGs of BSF and BGB, the State Chief Secretary and the Assam DGP spoke during the interaction.
State DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta spoke of the importance of such interactions, touching upon issues that affect both the countries emanating from common borders, and the need for a synergistic approach to handle these issues. Maj Gen MD Shafeenul Islam, DG, BGB, thanked the Assam government for hosting the interaction at Kaziranga National Park and stressed the need for enhanced collaborative efforts.
DG BSF, Rakesh Asthana, appreciated the initiative of bringing the DG-level talks of both countries to Assam, which shares a long international border with Bangladesh and reaffirmed the commitment of the BSF for a close relationship with the BGB.
Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua spoke of the historical and cultural moorings between the two countries and laid stress on how bonding and cooperation come naturally for these two countries and their forces.
Pankaj Kumar Singh, ADG BSF, stated that the informal interaction and visit will go a long way in improving coordination and cooperation between the forces.
Both the delegations and the Assam civil administration as well as police reaffirmed their commitment to work jointly to address common border-related issues. The talks were followed by a cultural evening. The delegations enjoyed watching the Jhumur and Bihu dances and listening to live performances of Assamese, Bengali and Hindi songs. This was stated in a press note issued here today.