NEW DELHI: India has ended a virtually five-year-old association for trans-shipment of Bangladeshi export cargo to 3rd nations through Indian airports and ports towards the backdrop of more and more strained relations between the 2 nations.
The exterior affairs ministry on Wednesday cited congestion at Indian airports and ports as the explanation for the transfer, which got here days after Bangladesh interim authorities chief Muhammad Yunus’ controversial remarks leveraging the isolation of India’s landlocked northeastern states whereas in search of Chinese language investments.
A round from India’s customs division issued on April 8 rescinded the association of June 2020 permitting the trans-shipment of export cargo from Bangladesh to 3rd nations through Indian airports and ports. Bangladesh used the association to maneuver cargo via Indian land customs stations to be shipped to locations in Europe, West Asia and different areas.
“This was a facility that was prolonged to Bangladesh in 2020. The trans-shipment facility prolonged to Bangladesh had, over a time period, resulted in vital congestion at our airports and ports,” exterior affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal advised a weekly media briefing.
“Logistical delays and better prices have been hindering our personal exports and creating backlogs. The ability, subsequently, has been withdrawn with impact from April 8, 2025,” he mentioned.
Jaiswal clarified that these measures would “not affect Bangladesh’s exports to Nepal or Bhutan transiting via Indian territory”.
Underneath the phrases of the World Commerce Group’s (WTO) Commerce Facilitation Settlement (TFA), which India ratified in 2016, New Delhi has to facilitate commerce for landlocked growing nations (LLDCs). Individuals conversant in the matter mentioned on situation of anonymity that trans-shipment of products from Bangladesh to Bhutan and Nepal will proceed underneath the phrases of the TFA.
Underneath the association, Bangladesh has used a number of Indian airports and ports, together with the New Delhi and Kolkata airports, to ship export cargo to completely different areas world wide. In the course of the previous 10 years, the Indian facet took a number of initiatives to boost commerce connectivity with Bangladesh, particularly measures to facilitate the trans-shipment of products from different elements of the nation to the northeastern states through Bangladeshi territory.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have been in freefall since former premier Sheikh Hasina’s authorities was ousted following weeks of student-led protests final August and the interim authorities headed by Yunus assumed workplace. India has repeatedly urged Bangladesh to stop the repression of minorities, together with Hindus, and expressed concern at a rise in radicalisation.
Days earlier than a gathering between Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the Bimstec Summit in Thailand final week, the Bangladeshi chief appeared to leverage the geographical isolation of India’s northeastern states whereas in search of Chinese language investments.
Addressing a enterprise assembly throughout a go to to China, Yunus mentioned India’s landlocked northeast, which shares a virtually 1,600-km border with Bangladesh, has no approach to attain the ocean besides via his nation.
“This opens up an enormous chance, this could possibly be an extension of the Chinese language financial system,” Yunus mentioned.
In an obvious riposte to Yunus, Modi made it clear that India’s northeastern area, with its geographical location, “lies on the coronary heart of Bimstec”. Exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar advised a gathering of Bimstec overseas ministers that India’s northeast can change into a regional connectivity hub with the completion of a freeway that may hyperlink the area to Myanmar and Thailand.
Jaiswal mentioned that the standing of Bangladesh’s minorities got here up for dialogue on the Modi-Yunus assembly in Bangkok on April 4. “We’ve got conveyed our considerations relating to the therapy of minorities, the type of violence that has occurred towards them and we additionally highlighted…that the violence and atrocities towards the minorities can’t be simply wished away or mentioned that they’re due to political causes or they’re media exaggerations,” he mentioned.
“We hope that the Bangladesh authorities will take robust motion towards those that are liable for these atrocities,” Jaiswal mentioned.
Within the context of Bangladesh’s name for discussing issues associated to the sharing of waters of the Ganga and the Teesta, Jaiswal mentioned all issues associated to 54 cross-border rivers come underneath the ambit of the Joint Rivers Fee. “We’re prepared to debate all points, supplied that they’re mutually agreed upon and supplied that the general atmosphere is conducive for a similar,” he mentioned.
