Dialogue, diplomacy key to resolving water-sharing issues with India: Bangladesh minister

Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir on Thursday said the country’s long-standing water-sharing issues with India must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, stressing that political will on both sides would be crucial for progress.

Speaking to reporters after a seminar on water cooperation, Kabir said discussions on transboundary rivers and the future of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty were continuing.

“It is only through discussion, dialogue, and diplomacy that these matters will have to be resolved,” he said, adding that international law was also being taken into consideration.

Kabir said an amicable resolution would depend on sincerity and a willingness to cooperate at the leadership, senior official and negotiator levels in both countries.

“Discussions and dialogues are ongoing and will continue,” he said, stressing the need to strengthen regional cooperation.

He said Bangladesh had formed a committee to examine the water-sharing issues, while India was reviewing the matters through its own mechanisms.

“If the leadership possesses the mindset to come forward and cooperate, we will certainly achieve an amicable and positive resolution,” Kabir said.

Bangladesh and India share 54 transboundary rivers and address water-related matters through the Joint Rivers Commission. The Teesta water-sharing dispute has remained a major point of contention between the two countries for decades.

The Teesta issue is separate from the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed in 1996 for 30 years and due to expire in December 2026.

In August, Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said Dhaka did not want its ties with India to deteriorate over the Teesta agreement.

“The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours,” Anee had said, stressing that Bangladesh wanted its interests protected without affecting bilateral relations.

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