Indian and Bangladeshi officials are to meet twice in June in a bid to settle border disputes, which last month led to the deaths of 19 soldiers, officials said on Wednesday. A foreign ministry spokesman said that the first three-day meeting would be held in New Delhi possibly from June 6 or June 11, while the other would take place in the Bangladeshi capital by the end of the month.
Dhaka wants to solve the border problem in the spirit of friendship and mutual understanding, the spokesman said, adding the two governments were still working out the exact dates and details of the meetings. In April, skirmishes along Bangladesh's border with Assam and Meghalaya left 16 Indian and three Bangladeshi border guards dead.
On the agenda at the meetings will be the final composition of the joint border working group, which will attempt to resolve border issues. The group will be made up of officials from the home and foreign ministries of both countries, the spokesman said.
Members of the Bangladeshi team for the planned New Delhi meeting have already been chosen, according to foreign ministry sources.
Bureau Report