India, B'desh should work together for crime-free border: Jaishankar

New Delhi, June 19: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday called for both India and Bangladesh to work together for a crime-free border and on river management.

Addressing the 7th Joint Consultative Commission meeting with Bangladesh, he said: "Today Bangladesh is our largest development partner, it is our largest trade partner in the region, it is our largest visa operation overseas. And that really underlines every aspect of our cooperation. And we in turn, are your largest export destination in Asia. I am glad to see that your exports have doubled to $2 billion this year."

The minister said both the countries share management of 54 rivers and their conservation, as well as the shared environment responsibility at Sundarbans.

"These are really areas that we need to work together as part of our commitment to climate action."

Jaishankar also said that better management of their long border is also a key priority, the border guarding forces should be committed to combating trans-border crimes, and both the countries should continue to work together to make sure that the border remains crime-free.

"We both have a commitment to a prosperous and connected sub-region. We have been working together on a BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement. And we also look at subregional cooperation in power, especially hydropower. We are both the largest producer and consumer of energy in the region. And we would be very happy to work with Bangladesh to structure a progressive partnership in the areas of production, transmission and trade," he said.