The Seventh meeting of the India-Bangladesh Home Minister Level Talks (HMLT) was held in New Delhi on 07 August 2019. The HMLT was co-chaired by Shri Amit Shah, Home Minister of India and Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, Minister for Home Affairs of Bangladesh.
Home Minister congratulated the visiting dignitary on his resumption of the office as Home Minister of Bangladesh for a second term, and reiterated India’s full support for Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s development agenda. Both the Ministers reiterated the significance attached to the bilateral relationship, which is forged in the 1971 Liberation War, which goes far beyond a strategic partnership. Today, our ties are a role model for good neighbourly relations across the world. They are rooted in history, culture, language and shared values of democracy, secularism, development cooperation and countless other commonalities.
During the meeting, the Ministers expressed satisfaction that both countries are working closer than ever before in every sector, including security and border management. They reiterated their commitment to keep the borders friendly, and in this regard appreciated the close co-operation between their border guarding forces. Home Minister appreciated Bangladesh’s policy of not allowing use of its territory by extremists and insurgents for perpetrating violence in other countries including India.
The gamut of issues related to bilateral security co-operation were discussed during the meeting. Both the Home Ministers reaffirmed the need to further curb the menace of trans-border crimes, and therefore agreed to the need for greater co-operation to achieve our aim of a secure border. Both sides also reviewed the pending issues related to security and infrastructure at the borders, and agreed to take steps towards the expedited resolution of these matters. Home Minister Shri Amit Shah also raised India’s concern regarding the illicit movement of undocumented persons across the border, with a view to find solutions to this problem especially in North East India.
The Indian Home Minister assured the Home Minister of Bangladesh of India’s continuing support for safe and speedy repatriation of the displaced Myanmar citizens sheltered in Bangladesh, for whom India has provided humanitarian assistance in four tranches since September 2017.
The leaders also looked forward to enhancing cooperation in simplifying people to people contact and travel for business, health and tourism, including through promoting connectivity.