High Commission of India, Dhaka
January 26, 2009 |
Message by H.E. Mr. Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh on the occasion of 60th Republic Day of India on January 26, 2009 |
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On the occasion of the 60th Republic Day of India, I have great pleasure in extending my warm greetings and good wishes to fellow citizens in Bangladesh and to the friendly people of Bangladesh.
2. This is a great day for every Indian. Sixty years ago, on this day, the formation of our Republic was the first milestone in our march towards realising the dreams of our people in the aftermath of Independence. Our Constitution laid the foundation of the structure of governance and committed to secure for all citizens, justice, liberty, equality and dignity. Our Constitution continues to be bedrock of our democracy and act as our astute guide to uphold the spirit of solidarity and multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic character of India. Today, we are the largest and one of the most stable democracies in the world. Our vibrant and functioning democracy, including at the grass-root level, is universally acclaimed.
3. We welcome the return of multi-party democracy in our close and friendly neighbour, Bangladesh. We applaud the people of Bangladesh for exercising their franchise in such large numbers in a free, fair, transparent, credible and peaceful general elections on December 29, 2008. The large voter turnout and the successful conduct of elections is undoubtedly a resounding victory for democracy in Bangladesh.
4. India and Bangladesh enjoy excellent relations. We share common values, a commitment to democracy and a multifaceted historical relationship in every field of human endeavour. Between us, there is not only friendship but commonalities of language, entrepreneurial ability, complimentarity of resources and many other advantages. As a result, there are vast opportunities for greatly enhancing bilateral cooperation.
5. The consistent objective of India’s foreign policy was and remains poverty eradication and rapid and inclusive economic development. If we are to eradicate mass poverty by 2020, we need to keep growing our economy at 8 to 10 per cent each year. This requires a peaceful and supportive global environment in general, and a peaceful periphery, in particular. Mindful of the fact that our peace and prosperity is inextricably linked with that of neighbours, India has followed an approach of non-reciprocity and positive asymmetry. This is manifest in allowing duty-free access of 8 million pieces of readymade Bangladeshi garments to India; lifting ban on Bangladeshi investments in India; and reducing tariff on about 5,000 products from Bangladesh to zero. We have also made progress in the last two years on promoting transportation links with the commencement of Kolkata-Dhaka passenger train service in April 2008; and signing of a new air-services Agreement to increase flights between our two countries. We are also undertaking initiatives to improve the trade infrastructure, including land ports, road, rail and riverine routes to facilitate increased levels of trade.
6. Our leadership has reiterated our determination to work closely with the newly elected Government of Bangladesh to further strengthen our bonds of friendship and widen the scope of our cooperation in days to come.
7. Today, we are faced with many transnational challenges like terrorism, climate change, energy and food security that threaten our developmental efforts. Among these threats, terrorism remains a major threat to peace and stability. The brutal terrorist attack in Mumbai has shown that we need to resolutely rebuff such evil attempts that strike at our common civilisational roots. We remain determined to work with friendly countries like Bangladesh to address this menace.
8. Last but not least, I take this opportunity to thank the people of Bangladesh for the support that they have extended in strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two countries.
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