India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has reaffirmed that all discussions concerning river and water-sharing issues with Bangladesh are conducted within the framework of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), amid Dhaka's call for a new or revised Ganga water-sharing agreement before the current treaty expires in December 2026.

Speaking during the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that river-related and water-related matters between the two neighbours continue to be addressed through the established JRC mechanism.

His remarks came in response to comments by Bangladesh's Water Resources Minister, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annee, who expressed confidence that a new arrangement could be reached before the present agreement lapses.

Bangladesh has sought either a renewed treaty or amendments to the existing accord, arguing that the next agreement should contain an explicit guarantee of its allocated share of Ganga waters. Dhaka maintains that such a guarantee was included in the 1977 agreement but was absent from the 30-year treaty signed in 1996.

The current Ganga water-sharing treaty, concluded in 1996, is scheduled to expire on 12 December 2026. Bangladesh has consistently emphasised the importance of securing long-term water availability and has called for clear assurances regarding water distribution under any future arrangement.

Bangladesh has also indicated that it intends to pursue the issue through dialogue and diplomatic engagement with India. The matter is particularly significant as the two countries share 54 transboundary rivers, while the Ganga remains the only river currently governed by a long-term bilateral water-sharing treaty.

The Joint Rivers Commission, established to facilitate cooperation on shared water resources, has traditionally served as the principal mechanism for discussing river management, water allocation and related technical issues between the two nations.

During the same briefing, Jaiswal confirmed that the India-Bangladesh Joint Working Group on Trade met in New Delhi over two days, with discussions taking place on Thursday and Friday.

According to the MEA, the meeting was conducted at Joint Secretary level and focused on a range of bilateral trade matters. Officials reviewed several issues forming part of the broader India-Bangladesh economic agenda.

The trade meeting was notable because it marked the resumption of the Joint Working Group on Trade after a gap of approximately three years, signalling renewed engagement on commercial and economic cooperation between the two countries.

India and Bangladesh continue to maintain wide-ranging cooperation across trade, connectivity, energy, security and water-resource management, with negotiations over the future of the Ganga water-sharing framework expected to remain a key bilateral priority ahead of the treaty's expiry later this year.

ANI