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00:00Then came China and Pakistan.
00:03With Bangladesh, we have resolved our borders.
00:07Having resolved the borders, I can rest,
00:11I can sleep in peace, peacefully,
00:14knowing that my borders are secure
00:17because we have an agreement signed
00:19between two friendly countries.
00:22However, the problem is India's relations with China
00:25are different as are India's relations with Pakistan.
00:29India's relations with Pakistan
00:32are based on very hostile border relations
00:35because a major part of the border is undemarcated,
00:40not just undemarcated, it is disputed
00:43with fundamentally different approach by each side.
00:47With China, that was the case until end of 1998
00:51when the two countries, in their wisdom, I would say,
00:54and I commend them for having taken that step,
00:58decided that, OK, let us not hold hostage
01:02all other relations, meaning trade, economy, culture,
01:05education, everything else.
01:08Let us take those out into one basket
01:11and keep the border, which is a legacy on both sides
01:15from history and colonial mismanagement,
01:19on the other side.
01:20And so that's what they did.
01:22They took the border out.
01:24They had some rules of engagement
01:27that there will be no shooting war or eyeball
01:29to eyeball confrontation, which largely they have observed.
01:33But the trade at that time was a total layover
01:37of $100 million.
01:39Today it's several billion dollars
01:41and going into tens of billions of dollars.
01:44Perhaps that was a more pragmatic approach.
01:47And I think they are now so heavily intermeshed
01:52with each other in the global trade and economy,
01:55I think that perhaps they will move further along
01:59to normalizing.
02:01Even in the last standoff they had in the Himalayas,
02:05there was no shooting.
02:06No shot was fired.
02:09Yes, some people died, but that was
02:11more from physical confrontation than a shooting war.
02:16So in that context, we should try and develop
02:22good cooperation with as many neighbors as we can.
02:25I certainly would like to have trade relations with Pakistan.
02:28I would like to have direct relations with Pakistan.
02:31But how do you communicate with each other directly?
02:33You have to do it either by air or by sea,
02:37which is longer circuitous.
02:39The land trade, which would be the cheapest
02:42or through the rivers, through which we were once connected,
02:44railways and rivers, cannot happen
02:47until relations between those two countries are normalized.
02:51So you just mentioned that the Bangladesh and India border
02:55has resolved the outstanding issues.
02:59Despite that, we are watching the disappointment
03:03with each other.
03:05We have seen the Bangladesh foreign minister
03:07Samuel Engel, a high commissioner,
03:10and expressed concern.
03:11And India also said that they have the right
03:14to fence the border for the security.
03:17So how do you look at this?
03:18Despite the permanent, there is no dispute
03:22like the India-Pakistan or India-China border.
03:25But despite that, the situation, the tension is going on.
03:31So how do you look at this?
03:33Well, if Indians are putting up a fence
03:37on their side of the border and not ours,
03:39we cannot contest that.
03:40It is the sovereign right.
03:42If we want, we can set up a fence on our side of the border
03:45to counter that.
03:47Our response is that we do not welcome
03:51such fencing between two geographically located
03:57neighbors, which are supposed to be friendly to each other.
04:02These are construed as acts which
04:05display a certain sense of suspicion or hostility.
04:10And there, I think we should engage, activate
04:13our diplomatic channels and links.
04:15We have a format for border consultation
04:20between officials of the two sides.
04:23We should upgrade the activation of these bodies
04:27and try and defuse it.
04:29I am confident that both the countries
04:32will be able to resolve all problems that are arising
04:37or have been existing through friendly negotiations,
04:42or negotiations at least in an atmosphere of cordiality
04:47and mutual understanding.
04:50Thank you very much.