Indo-Bangla dialogue between think-tanks begins today

A two-day dialogue between one think-tank from India and another from Bangladesh will begin in Delhi today in order to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues. 

The "India-Bangladesh Strategic Dialogue" is being jointly organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) of Bangladesh and the Ananta Aspen Centre in New Delhi, said a press release.

The event will bring together high-level policymakers, experts and partners from both countries.

Participants will deliberate on water sharing, and multimodal connectivity, including road, rail, water, coastal shipping, energy and digital connectivity, said the press release.

"Bilateral cooperation will be explored in novel areas such as monetary cooperation and technology transfer. The evolution of bilateral relations will also be assessed in the context of emerging geo-strategic circumstances."

It is anticipated that at a time when the two countries stand at important crossroads and are heading towards national elections, the dialogue will be an opportunity to discuss how the Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relationship could be reframed and reimagined in a way that meets the aspirations of both the countries and their people, the press release added.

Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the CPD, Debapriya Bhattacharya and Prof Mustafizur Rahman, both distinguished fellows, M Sakhawat Hussain, a former election commissioner, Md Shahidul Haque, a former senior secretary of the foreign affairs ministry, Amena Mohsin, a professor of the international relations department at the University of Dhaka, M Tamim, a professor of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and Shams Mahmud, president of the Bangladesh-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will take part in the dialogue from the Bangladesh side.

This is the second dialogue under the CPD-Ananta Aspen collaboration, with the first one held virtually in May last year.

The CPD, along with its partners in India, has organised 16 such dialogues in Dhaka and Delhi over the years.