India and Bangladesh share 4,096.7 km of border — the longest land boundary that India shares with any of its neighbours.Saran said the longer this environment continues, the more impact it will have on Bangladesh’s economy because it is inherently integrated with the Indian economy.”So, there will be a further downtrend in the situation in Bangladesh on the economic side. But, once things settle down, and it may take a few months. We will just have to wait for different political forces to kind of find some equilibrium inside Bangladesh,” he said.While the government-to-government relationship will obviously be impacted, the people-to-people relation and trade will go on, the former envoy said.”But, we will not go back to business as usual,” Saran underlined. Asked that since the Land Boundary Agreement ratification could happen in the past, could the two countries again go the distance in the long run, he said whether it is Bangladesh or any other country, “you make the best of relations in any given time”.”There was a government in Dhaka which wanted to move and resolve issues. We did all that. It does not mean that it cannot happen again in future.””When we had the chance, the alignment of the two leaderships was correct, we achieved a lot. Now, we just have to wait and see what is the kind of political dispensation that comes up in Bangladesh,” Saran said.He asserted that India-Bangladesh “achieved a lot under Hasina”. That is very good and the relationship has to continue and grow, he said.”I am sure we will be prepared for all eventualities. I think, everyone in Dhaka today is aware that that they need good relations, normal relations with India, but the question is it’s premature to think about that now, right now it is a crisis moment,” Saran added.
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