India's parliamentary body's recommendation on Teesta deal encouraging: Foreign ministry
The recent recommendations made by India's parliamentary standing committee to initiate a meaningful dialogue with Bangladesh regarding Teesta water sharing agreement has generated hope in Dhaka.
"It is surely encouraging and meaningful, especially when MPs from all political parties of India are there in this committee. That is why such a recommendation generated hope among us," foreign ministry spokesperson Seheli Sabrin made the remark while speaking to the newspersons during the weekly media briefing at the foreign ministry on Thursday.
She said the committee's recommendations to reach a consensus on Teesta water sharing through meaningful dialogue with Dhaka to strengthen further relations between the two countries has drawn the attention of the foreign ministry of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has described the recent recommendations, made by India's parliamentary standing committee over the Teesta water sharing agreement, as "encouraging and significant", she said.
"We have also been informed regarding the matter from our mission in New Delhi. It is surely encouraging and significant," the foreign ministry spokesperson added.
Seheli Sabrin further said the Bangladesh foreign ministry believed that the diplomatic efforts regarding the signing of the much-awaited Teesta water sharing agreement would be further strengthened with reference to the Indian parliamentary committee's recommendation in the coming days.
The standing committee, which includes all parties' lawmakers, submitted the report on 'India's Neighborhood First Policy' in Rajyasabha (upper house) and Lok Sabha (lower house) on 25 July.
P P Chaudhary, chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs, is from BJP.
According to media reports, important members of the parliament like former home minister and Indian National Congress leader P Chidambaram, Abhishek Banerjee of Trinamul Congress, BJP MP Swapan Dasgutpa and other 27 members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are the members of the committee.