Manir Hossain
Dhaka,April 02 : Regarding Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ remarks on India’s Seven Sisters during his recent visit to China, High Representative for Rohingya Affairs and Priority Issues, Dr Khalilur Rahman, said that connectivity will open the doors of opportunity for this region, especially for those who face significant challenges in accessing the sea.
“We are not going to impose connectivity forcibly, nor are we in a position to do so. If someone accepts it, that is excellent; if not, there is nothing we can do about it. The Chief Adviser has spoken with the utmost sincerity. If someone interprets his words differently, we cannot prevent that. We are only interested in offering connectivity for mutual benefit.” he said during a briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Wednesday.
Dr Khalilur Rahman said: “This is not the first time the Chief Adviser has spoken about the Seven Sisters. In 2012, he made similar remarks. Going a step further, in 2023, the Prime Minister of Japan, speaking from Delhi, mentioned integrating Northeast India and Bangladesh into a value chain. He also spoke about the concept of a single economic zone, which is recognized as the Big Bay Initiative.”
He added: “On the final day of the Bimstec (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit, the Chief Adviser will assume the role of Chairman. Bangladesh is set to take on this responsibility for the next two years.”
He further said: “On the sidelines of the summit, bilateral meetings with various heads of state are scheduled. It is expected that a meeting will take place between the Chief Adviser and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have reasons to be optimistic, but until the meeting takes place, we will not make any premature statements on this matter.”
Responding to a question, Dr Khalilur Rahman said: “The Chief Adviser is the next Chairman of Bimstec. We hope that during this opportunity, the top representatives of all other member states will engage in discussions about Bimstec’s future initiatives. Therefore, we believe there is a strong possibility of this meeting taking place.”
He also mentioned that two agreements and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed during the Bimstec Summit, with the Chief Adviser present at the time of signing.
The press conference was attended by the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, and Deputy Press Secretary, Abul Kalam Azad Mojumdar.
