Jaishankar refutes the Yunus of Bangladesh over the northeastern 'Landlocked' comment: 'Cooperation is not cherry picking' | Today news

Foreign Minister (Eam) Jaishankar strongly locked Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the Bangladesh, and “Bangladesh Only Guardian of the Ocean” comment during his visit to China, in which he said that “cooperation is not about cherry picking.” In a statement, jaishankar said, “We, after all, have the longest coastline in the bay of Bengal, or almost 6,500 km. India shares borders not only with five bimstec members, connects most of them, but also provides much of the interface between the indian subs. North-Eastern Region in particular is emerging as a connectivity hub for the bimstec, with a myriad network of roads, railways, waterways, grids and pipelines. “We are aware that our cooperation and facilitation are an essential prerequisite for the smooth flow of goods, services and people in this greater geography. When we keep in mind this geo-strategic factor, we have devoted increasing energy and attention to the strengthening of Bimstec in the last decadem,” he said. What did Yunus say? During his visit to China, Muhammad urged Yunus Beijing to expand his economic influence to Bangladesh, and controversial the northeastern states of his neighbor, India. He said: “The seven states of India, the eastern part of India, are called the seven sisters. They are a land of India. They have no way of reaching out to the sea.” Yunus named Bangladesh as the ‘sole guardian of the ocean’ in the region, saying it could be a huge event and it could be an expansion of the Chinese economy. While Yunus’s comments on northeast appeared on social media, they caused a sharp political reaction in the country. Assam’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemned the remarks as ‘offensive’ and former Manipur CM Biren Singh accused BengalDeh of using the region as a strategic pawn. Catch all the business news, the news reports and the latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. Business NewsnewSjaishankar refutes the Yunus of Bangladesh over the Northeast ‘Landlocked’ comment: ‘Cooperation is not a cherry’