Bangladesh Seeks India’s Support for Reviving SAARC and Renewing Ganges Water Treaty

In a diplomatic push aimed at strengthening regional ties, Bangladesh’s Interim Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain, urged India to support the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty during a high-level meeting in Muscat, Oman. The discussions took place on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) on Sunday.

Hossain highlighted Bangladesh’s commitment to reactivating SAARC, which has remained dormant due to tensions between India and Pakistan, and called for renewed talks on the 1996 Ganges Water Treaty, a vital agreement governing water-sharing between the two nations. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry released a statement saying Hossain sought India’s backing for convening the SAARC Standing Committee meeting and initiating discussions on the treaty’s renewal.

However, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who met Hossain during the session, did not address SAARC in his social media post. Instead, he focused on the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh, as well as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). Jaishankar noted that the two sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in key areas.

Jaishankar’s post did not mention the SAARC talks but emphasized the ongoing bilateral engagements, noting that Bangladesh will soon assume the BIMSTEC chair from Thailand during the upcoming summit in April 2025.

This marks the second meeting between the two diplomats since their previous encounter in September 2024 at the United Nations General Assembly, following the establishment of Bangladesh’s interim government. The discussions reflect Bangladesh’s effort to strengthen regional cooperation amidst a changing political landscape in South Asia.