India-Bangladesh Ganges talks continuing at technical level: MEA

New Delhi: India said on Friday that discussions on river-related issues with Bangladesh, including those concerning the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, were continuing at the technical level.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks during the weekly media briefing while responding to a question on the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty.

"As you would be aware, the Ganges Water Treaty was signed in 1996 for 30 years," he said, adding, "All river-related issues between India and Bangladesh are discussed under the Joint Rivers Commission. Further, meetings of the committee under the Ganges Water Treaty continue to be held at the technical level," Jaiswal added.


The 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty between India and Bangladesh is set to expire in December this year. It governs the sharing of the river's water flow during the lean dry season (January 1 to May 31) at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal.

Jaiswal said it was closely following developments in West Asia when asked about reports that Bangladesh is keen to join the recently signed Mecca defence pact involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

MEA's response comes after Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir said in an interview that Dhaka was open to joining the Mecca pact. The Mecca defence agreement was signed on August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.