'Bangladesh has full confidence in Mamata on Teesta issue'

Kolkata, Jun 20: Bangladesh has full confidence in West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on resolution of the dispute over sharing of Teesta water between India and his country, the country's High Commissioner in India Syed Muazzem Ali today said.

"During her last Bangladesh visit, Mamata Banerjee had told us to have confidence in her on the Teesta issue. Today we have told her that we continue to have confidence in her on the issue," he said after a 40-minute meeting with the Chief Minister at the state secretariat.

The Bangladesh envoy said that he was hopeful that his country's relation with West Bengal would grow simultaneous with the negotiation over the Teesta and other issues.

"I am hopeful that we will be able to take forward our relation (with West Bengal) along with the Teesta and other issues," Ali said. This was the Bangladesh envoy's first meeting with Mamata after she became the Chief Minister for a second term.

The four-member delegation which met the Chief Minister also included Zokey Ahad, head of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata.

"This is basically a courtesy call. I've come here to congratulate her after her re-election as the Chief Minister on behalf of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he said.

On whether there was a discussion on the Ramkrishna Mission in Bangladesh getting threats from suspected ISIS, the envoy said, "The two countries cooperate on security and after this (threats to RKM) security has been considerably enhanced.

We had a discussion with West Bengal earlier on this... Today we told the Chief Minister about our discussion with Sushma Swaraj," he said. On export of Hilsa fish to West Bengal, the envoy said "facilities at the ports here and the infrastructure should be developed."

"We will export (Hilsa)... But I must say that the facilities at the ports and the infrastructure must be developed...Otherwise fishes get rotten while exporting," Ali pointed out.

On Mamata Banerjee's massive victory in the recent Assembly election, the envoy told reporters, "This is a mammoth victory. It shows that the people of West Bengal have faith in her." He said that they have also invited Mamata to visit Bangladesh.

PTI