Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the ‘Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline’ will play a pivotal role in ensuring fuel security in Bangladesh while many countries across the globe are facing serious fuel crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war. “When many countries across the country are at the verge of fuel crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war at that time this pipeline will play a vital role in ensuring fuel security of our people,” she said, reports BSS.

The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the 131.57-km cross-border ‘Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline’ as part of energy sector cooperation between the two neighbouring countries through which Bangladesh will import petroleum, especially diesel from India. Hasina and her Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the newly built pipeline. Hasina was connected from her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka while Modi was connected from his office in New Delhi.

Hasina said that both Bangladesh and India have materialised many possibilities in the recent past regarding the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India. “We have settled all our bilateral problems one by one,” she said. She mentioned that both the neighbouring countries are working together for their development. “We are getting cooperation for our development from India,” she said. Hasina said that Bangladesh will be benefited variously due to the inauguration of the pipeline.

“The time and expenditure for importing diesel from India will be reduced significantly by this pipeline,” she added. She also mentioned that the supply of diesel in 16 districts in the northern region of the country will remain stable. Hasina said that India is the genuine friend of Bangladesh. “I want that the friendship of our two countries will remain intact,” she said. She said that Bangladesh has got the recognition as a developing country and the government wanted to implement that. “By 2041 we want to make Bangladesh more developed,” she said.

She mentioned that for the overall development of the two countries the people will work unitedly. “That is our aim. Because we want that our countries’ development will expedite,” she said. She also said that the government has developed Mongla port, Chattogram port, Sylhet International Airport, Chattogram International Airport while Syedpur Airport has been upgraded as the regional airport. “We are opening these ports for India completely, there will be no problem for India to use these ports. It will ease the trade and business activities, and the people of the both countries will be benefited,” she said. She mentioned that this pipeline is a trademark achievement of cooperation between the two friendly countries. “Apart from ensuring fuel security this pipeline will increase the economic growth,” she said.

She invited investors from India to come up with their investments in the economic zones across the country which will be beneficial for the two neighbouring countries. The government is establishing 100 economic zones across the country. She hoped that like this pipeline, Bangladesh and India will jointly celebrate many more successes in the coming days. “We will work jointly in national and international arena,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina recalled the contributions of the government and the people of India during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, and extended her personal gratitude for the cooperation they extended to her after the brutal assassination of the Father of the Nation on 15th of August in 1975. Modi also spoke at the programme joining from his office.