Indian defence minister visits Dhaka

[bluesky]

Indian defence minister visits Dhaka

• Last updated at 07:04 PM November 30, 2016

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar arrived in Dhaka yesterday with an delegation of 11 dignitaries for a two-day long visit.
According to reports from top Defence Ministry officials, the focus of the trip is to deepen security ties and finalise the Defence Cooperation Agreement that is likely to be signed when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits India around December 17.

The Indian Media also reported that Parikkar’s visit marks the first an Indian defence minister has come to Bangladesh in 45 years.

The minister and the 11 member delegation landed in Dhaka on a special Indian flight at Bangladesh air force base at Kurmitola according to statement of Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) Directorate.

Armed Forces Lt Principal Staff Officer Gen Md Mahfuzur Rahman and officials from the different ministies greeted the defense minister and his delegation at the air force base.

Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla was also present.

The Indian delegation, which includes the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy deputy chiefs will hold courtesy meetings with the president and prime minister of Bangladesh.

They will also meet with the Bangladesh Army, Air Force and Navy chiefs to discuss broadening international relations and cooperation.

The defense minister and his delegation will also hold a meeting with the Security Advisor to the Prime Minister Major General (rt) Tarique Ahmed Siddique.

The visit will cover the areas of naval cooperation which have been proposed including the option of coordinated patrolling along International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), bilateral martime exercise, joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and cooperation in hydrography.

 

[bluesky]

The visit will cover the areas of naval cooperation which have been proposed including the option of coordinated patrolling along International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), bilateral martime exercise, joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and cooperation in hydrography.

Can someone tell us the output of his/her analysis of the bold part above. I am too weak to properly understand the true implication of the words and their hidden meaning which the Koutilla people are apt at including.

I can remember the 20 year Friendship Treaty between Bangladesh and India. It was a horrible chapter that initiated the creation of distrust of India by the people of Bangladesh.

 

[Bilal9]

Can someone tell us the output of his/her analysis of the bold part above. I am too weak to properly understand the true implication of the words and their hidden meaning which the Koutilla people are apt at including.

I can remember the 20 year Friendship Treaty between Bangladesh and India. It was a horrible chapter that initiated the creation of distrust of India by the people of Bangladesh.

Well words could mean a lot of things.

Watch the terms,

1. "coordinated patrolling" and then,
2. "bilateral...exercise" and then
3. "Joint Surveillance".

What this means (being the devil's advocate here) is that they (Indian Navy or Bharatiya Nau Sena) "intend" to (whether they will actually do it or not is beyond the scope here) conduct the naval 'patrolling', the 'exercise-ing' and the 'surveillance' around our sea-periphery however if they get your signature on it then it legitimizes transgressions and somewhat neutralizes any future point of contention or protest from our Navy's side. They want to neuter us logically by getting our signatures on these 'agreements' so we don't have any ability to protest in the future if any transgressions do occur.

But I digress. These are my clarifications and take them with a pinch of salt. Others can offer their own explanations as well.

 

[my2cents]

Well words could mean a lot of things.

Watch the terms,

1. "coordinated patrolling" and then,
2. "bilateral...exercise" and then
3. "Joint Surveillance".

What this means (being the devil's advocate here) is that they (Indian Navy or Bharatiya Nau Sena) "intend" to (whether they will actually do it or not is beyond the scope here) conduct the naval 'patrolling', the 'exercise-ing' and the 'surveillance' around our sea-periphery however if they get your signature on it then it legitimizes transgressions and somewhat neutralizes any future point of contention or protest from our Navy's side. They want to neuter us logically by getting our signatures on these 'agreements' so we don't have any ability to protest in the future if any transgressions do occur.

But I digress. These are my clarifications and take them with a pinch of salt. Others can offer their own explanations as well.

Would it not be better to agree to disagree in some issues and be transparent than have potential conflicts in future.

With China lurking around we do have to keep our allies and friends close. This BD visit is part of Delhi overtures to win over friendly countries and promote peace in our neighbourhood.

Is China encircling India with their string of pearl strategy? We strongly believe so and see evidence of it all around. Their grand strategy is to mire India in regional conflicts. They don't want India to rise and challenge their dominance.

China with war chest of reserves their economic might is growing from strength to strength.

China has covered their bases through some 40 billion dollar investment in Gwadar port and other CPEC projects in Pakistan, 2 billion dollars investment in Port city development in Colombo and their recent $24 billion dollar credit line with Bangladesh. They are investing heavily in our neighbourhood and is being watched closely by our MEA.

Any regional conflict will be disastrous to all SAARC countries.It is mature to be open and transparent about our dealings and shortcomings.

 

[Bilal9]

Would it not be better to agree to disagree in some issues and be transparent than have potential conflicts in future.

With China lurking around we do have to keep our allies and friends close. This BD visit is part of Delhi overtures to win over friendly countries and promote peace in our neighbourhood.

Is China encircling India with their string of pearl strategy? We strongly believe so and see evidence of it all around. Their grand strategy is to mire India in regional conflicts. They don't want India to rise and challenge their dominance.

China with war chest of reserves their economic might is growing from strength to strength.

China has covered their bases through some 40 billion dollar investment in Gwadar port and other CPEC projects in Pakistan, 2 billion dollars investment in Port city development in Colombo and their recent $24 billion dollar credit line with Bangladesh. They are investing heavily in our neighbourhood and is being watched closely by our MEA.

Any regional conflict will be disastrous to all SAARC countries.It is mature to be open and transparent about our dealings and shortcomings.

Relax...Bangladesh is not looking for trouble. The Bangladesh Govt. and the defense establishment know well the 'cost' of any conflicts and they will exhaust all diplomatic avenues before deciding to use offensive means. They also know their size and defense capabilities well. No one in their right mind (inside or outside Bangladesh) wants a growing and prosperous Bangladesh turning into another trouble spot. The path toward further infrastructure and industrialization should continue.

However I think a few confidence-building measures could help build bridges to Bangladeshi popular psyche coming from Indian administration (which could possibly make Hasina more acceptable as a legitimate administrator locally),

1. Less hard-line chest-beating talk from your prime minister trying to appease the likes of right winger Hindutva types.
2. Opening up your markets to our products instead of trying to protect your inefficient industries via non-tariff barriers such as false 'dumping measures'. We are a sore sufferer of this in trade with India.
3. Starving us of river water by arbitrary withdrawal of river waters without equitable riparian agreements.
4. Etc. etc.

Bangladesh reserves the right to keep it's sea lanes (vital for exports) clear and will go to any length to ensure this. This is a legitimate need that is the right of a sovereign nation. If another state wants to out-muscle this country by conducting sea-denial measures, then we cannot sit idly by and let our people starve. Defending our sea-lanes is our right.

The foreign engagement policy of the Bangladesh govt. has always been defensive (and not offensive, given our position geo-politically), which however does not mean that we are going to let everyone walk all over us like a doormat...

 

[my2cents]

Relax...Bangladesh is not looking for trouble. The Bangladesh Govt. and the defense establishment know well the 'cost' of any conflicts and they will exhaust all diplomatic avenues before deciding to use offensive means. They also know their size and defense capabilities well. No one in their right mind (inside or outside Bangladesh) wants a growing and prosperous Bangladesh turning into another trouble spot. The path toward further infrastructure and industrialization should continue.

However I think a few confidence-building measures could help build bridges to Bangladeshi popular psyche coming from Indian administration (which could possibly make Hasina more acceptable as a legitimate administrator locally),

1. Less hard-line chest-beating talk from your prime minister trying to appease the likes of right winger Hindutva types.
2. Opening up your markets to our products instead of trying to protect your inefficient industries via non-tariff barriers such as false 'dumping measures'. We are a sore sufferer of this in trade with India.
3. Starving us of river water by arbitrary withdrawal of river waters without equitable riparian agreements.
4. Etc. etc.

Bangladesh reserves the right to keep it's sea lanes (vital for exports) clear and will go to any length to ensure this. This is a legitimate need that is the right of a sovereign nation. If another state wants to out-muscle this country by conducting sea-denial measures, then we cannot sit idly by and let our people starve. Defending our sea-lanes is our right.

The foreign engagement policy of the Bangladesh govt. has always been defensive (and not offensive, given our position geo-politically), which however does not mean that we are going to let everyone walk all over us like a doormat...

Great post!

Sometimes we read between the lines and miss the whole point. I am in agreement for confidence building measures that you have pointed in your post. You have to understand that our PM was elected based on his achievement in developing his home state and not on his hindutva credentials or his RSS background. In fact he has more or less disassociated himself with hindutva talk after becoming PM. Same cannot be said about some elements of his party though.

You do have to give him credit for settling our land border issues and has even talked about working with state governments to solve the teesta water sharing pact. But though the Modi administration is keen to sign the pact, it is unlikely that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will give her support. Some arm twisting by the central government is in the offing soon to make her bend.

Joint patrolling of seas is not a bad idea and we should extend that to our border as well. In my opinion these measures are also going dispel our distrust between us and proper modalities which are agreeable to both of us
should be set up to make it work.

 

[Bilal9]

Joint patrolling of seas is not a bad idea and we should extend that to our border as well. In my opinion these measures are also going dispel our distrust between us and proper modalities which are agreeable to both of us
should be set up to make it work.

This is a different areas of cooperation (defense) and the establishments in both countries have to agree. Defense doctrine in Bangladesh has to agree with this as well.

Sharing of river waters has to involve Mamata unfortunately, as her state (and her political standing with her electorate) is involved.

 

[Zeeshan Farooqi]

Its strange that indian defence minister visit Dhaka.

 

[H!TchHiker]

Its strange that indian defence minister visit Dhaka.

Why it is strange? ..They have friendly relations