India today down played Bhutan's decision not to immediately ratify a sub-regional connectivity initiative, saying it is natural that all members cannot move at the same speed and that it will remain engaged with the Bhutanese government.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "It is our understanding that all members of BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) are fully committed to sub- regional cooperation within BBIN framework."
Bhutan has announced that it would not be able to ratify the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (BBIN MVA) for the time being and asked the other stakeholders to go ahead with the plan without it.
Replying to questions, Baglay said, "However, it is natural that all members cannot move at the same speed on all matters. We continue to consult with the BBIN members on ways and means to foster sub-regional cooperation in areas of common interest"
In a statement yesterday, the Bhutanese foreign ministry said while the other three countries in the grouping have already ratified the agreement, the Royal Government of Bhutan is in the process of completing its internal procedures for ratification to address the concerns raised by the domestic stakeholders.
To facilitate the early implementation of the BBIN MVA, the Bhutan government has decided to give its consent for the entry into force of the agreement among the three other member states without any obligation to it, the statement had said.
Right from the time the BBIN MVA was tabled for ratification, the draft legislation faced opposition in Bhutan. There have been fears of vehicular pollution and environmental degradation if trucks from neighbouring countries are given access to Bhutan.
To boost trade relations, India had proposed a regional cooperation pact in 2014 which entailed building a freight corridor connecting the south Asian nations with each other.
The MVA was proposed to reduce transport costs drastically and foster development of multi-modal transport facilities for a better connectivity among the four countries.
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