Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has highlighted that Bangladesh accepting India’s invitation to participate as a guest country in India’s G20 Presidency is reflective of the extensive and in-depth partnership which both the countries share.

The India-Bangladesh bilateral relations are multifaceted and manifest in active cooperation in wide-ranging areas, including protection of shared natural ecosystem, he added.

The Indian envoy in partnership with local organisations organised the event, said a press release from the High Commission of India (HCI).

The hour-long event organised under the rubric of India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 witnessed enthusiastic participation from distinguished members of Bangladesh government, local administration, civil society and media as well as students and youth volunteers.

In his speech, the Indian envoy emphasised that the joint endeavour to preserve and protect coastal and marine habitat is a natural extension of the shared values and priorities of our two countries.

Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, who attended the event as chief guest, said Bangladesh, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has always been at the forefront of climate action.

He has lauded this initiative of the Indian government as instrumental in drawing global attention to the need to combat coastal and marine pollution and to the critical role that citizen-centric participation plays in addressing it.

The importance of individual efforts and community participation in mitigating this environmental challenge was highlighted.