Modi assures Hasina about Assam NRC

FT ONLINE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina that the National Registration of Citizens (NRC) in India will have no impact on Bangladesh and there is no need to be worried about it.

Modi made the assurance at a bilateral meeting held between him and Sheikh Hasina at Kennedy Room of Lotte New York Palace on Friday.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen said the talks were held in a very cordial and friendly environment.

The foreign minister said the entire gamut of bilateral concerns like the issues of NRC and water-sharing of the common rivers, including Teesta, came up for discussions between the two prime ministers.

He said Sheikh Hasina raised the NRC issue saying that it has become a matter of great concern for Bangladesh.

In reply, the Indian prime minister said the issues like that of the NRC and water-sharing could be taken care of very easily as the relation between Bangladesh and India is very good.

In this regard, Modi assured Hasina that the officials concerned in India will work to fix the issues and said Bangladesh has nothing to worry about that.

Foreign Minister Dr. Momen said there had been no detailed discussion at the meeting as the two leaders are going to have a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on October 5 next.

Dr. Momen said both sides will work for the welfare of the two peoples as the two leaders have very good relations like that of a brother and a sister. 

"The meeting was very much cordial and we’re very excited," he added.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Foreign Ministry Muhammad Faruk Khan and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and PMO Secretary Sajjadul Hassan were present at the meeting.

The two prime ministers are now in New York to join the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly.