Responding to questions during a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India's development assistance for projects in Bangladesh is based on a mutually agreed roadmap that is reviewed regularly. He stated that India's position on the Teesta river project had already been conveyed to the Bangladeshi side and emphasized that New Delhi would factor all related developments into its overall approach to the Teesta issue.
The remarks came after Bangladesh and China discussed the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project during Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent visit to China. China's growing involvement in the management of the Teesta River has attracted strategic attention because of the river's geographical and security significance for India.
The Teesta River originates in the eastern Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh, where it serves as a vital source of irrigation and livelihood for millions of people. The Teesta river basin is also located near India's strategically important Siliguri Corridor, a narrow 22-kilometre land corridor that connects the country's mainland with its northeastern states.
When asked about reports regarding Bangladesh's strategically important Mongla Port and Dhaka's plans to procure fighter aircraft from China, Jaiswal said that India remains attentive to all such developments and will take whatever appropriate measures it considers necessary.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman had stated on June 27 that relations between Dhaka and Beijing had reached their highest level following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to China. According to him, both countries achieved significant progress on the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, with China pledging support and both sides agreeing to expedite the project's feasibility study.
Rahman also said that Bangladesh and China agreed to accelerate the implementation of the Mongla Port Modernisation and Expansion Project as well as the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone Development Project in Chattogram, further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Addressing another question regarding consular services for Indian nationals in Australia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, Jaiswal said that Indian diplomatic missions in the three countries continue to provide limited consular services. He explained that the operations of outsourcing agencies supporting consular services have been kept on hold because the matter is currently pending before the High Court, adding that the government is awaiting further directions from the court.
Jaiswal also responded to reports that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization had asked Pakistan to reverse reconstruction work that allegedly undermined the integrity of historical sites at Taxila, a designated World Heritage Site. He said that cultural heritage, particularly sites recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, belongs to the entire world rather than any single nation, stressing that preserving and protecting such heritage is a shared global responsibility.
According to reports in Pakistani media, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has warned that Taxila could be removed from the World Heritage List if the disputed reconstruction work is not reversed. Located in Pakistan's Punjab province in Rawalpindi district, Taxila is an extensive archaeological complex comprising a Mesolithic cave, the remains of four early settlement sites, Buddhist monasteries, a mosque and a madrassa.
India's latest statements underscore New Delhi's growing focus on strategic developments in its neighbourhood as Bangladesh expands its engagement with China through infrastructure, economic and river management projects while broader regional security and cultural heritage issues continue to remain under close diplomatic scrutiny.
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