GUWAHATI: The five-day 51st Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) commenced in Guwahati on Tuesday.
This is for the first time in four decades that the biannual conference is being held outside Delhi.
Official sources said both sides discussed issues such as development and infrastructure work, sharing of information, joint efforts for effective implementation of coordinated border management plans, confidence-building measures and various other border-related issues and reached solutions.
The DG-level talks had started in 1975. The conference became a bi-annual event from 1993, held in both nations alternatively. The objective is to establish a joint mechanism of border management for effective control on border activities and enhancement of cooperation in getting rid of various problems including smuggling, attacks on border, infiltration etc.
The event is also a way of highlighting ground-level realities and the plight of troops so they can be addressed.
The BGB delegation comprised 11 members, led by the force’s DG Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam. The Bangladeshi security officials entered India through Dawki in Meghalaya. They were welcomed by BSF Inspector General Hardeep Singh.
Later, the BGB delegation left for Guwahati where it was accorded a grand reception by BSF DG Rakesh Asthana.