‘Time,statesmanship will solve Teesta issue’

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Bangladesh was a major effort to build relation with that country which India had helped find feet in 1971,Chidambaram said.

India had been able to resolve the Tinbigha problem with Bangladesh in a spirit of ‘give and take,’ he said and observed ‘we haven’t given or taken much. It required a certain amount of statesmanship to give a little and take a little’.

It took 51 years to solve the problem of undemarcated boundaries with Bangladesh,including Tinbigha,he said.

The Home Minister further said,“With a little give and take,we have been able to find solutions to these problems and I compliment all the chief ministers of the bordering states for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Government of India in resolving the issues.”

Chidambaram said that never in the last 40 years India and Bangladesh had been so close to forging the strongest of relationships for mutual benefit.

India should seize this opportunity to further strengthen ties with its eastern neighbour,just as it has done with Bhutan and Sri Lanka and hopes to do with Nepal.

Observing that India was in a troubled geographical location,Chidambaram stressed on the need to improve relation with neighbouring countries.

“We can choose our friends,but not our neighbours. We can make history but cannot unmake geography. Therefore we need to build on what we have,” Chidambaram said.