Team Herald
DONA PAULA: National Institute of Oceanography Director Sunil Kumar Singh said that India and Bangladesh are likely to resume their alliance in oceanic research after earlier attempts failed due to diplomatic issues.
“The mission which was a part of Indo-Bangladesh collaboration has not been suspended. During that time the collaboration that had started between the two countries was at scientists’ level and not at the diplomatic level. The ministries of both countries were not involved and due to this Indian researchers were not allowed to enter the exclusive economic zone of Bangladesh by their government,” Singh said.
He added, “Collaboration will resume in the near future as it would be done at the ministerial level. It will resume with Myanmar also being considered to be a part of it. Indo-Bangladesh initiative was announced by then Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan in 2015 in Goa.”
Singh also said that CSIR- NIO and Dhaka University had signed a MoU in 2015 following which NIO had ventured for the research but was not allowed to enter Bangladesh’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
