"Our multidimensional relations and our traditional friendship and wide ranging cooperation with Bangladesh were given a boost during Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's state visit to India a few days ago," said Indian External Affairs Secretary Rajiv Sikri.

"With our respective rich natural and human resources, India and Bangladesh have a significant convergence of interests in taking full advantage of the shared opportunities, complementarities and synergies that flow out of our historical, geographical, political, economic and cultural closeness and in tackling some of the challenges....such as terrorism and drug trafficking," he added.

Sikri said, "Bangladesh is the most important neighbour and regional partner for India. In fact, I would say Bangladesh is special and unique for India because the Indian State of West Bengal, Bangladesh and the northeastern region of India had historically constituted an integrated space."

He was addressing the sixth Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Forum meeting here organised by Dhaka-based Centre for Policy Dialogue and Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research.

Emphasising that cooperation with China, Myanmar and

Bangladesh is a "core component" of India's 'Look East' policy, Sikri said India envisioned formation of a Pan-Asian Free Trade Area.

"However, meaningful sub-regional and regional cooperation is dependent upon greater connectivity and dismantling of barriers between us to allow free movement of goods, people and ideas," Sikri said.

He stressed the need for exploiting the potential for cooperation between India and its three eastern neighbours.

"India is actively engaged in a sustained endeavour to strengthen bilateral engagement with Bangladesh, China and Myanmar," Sikri said.

"For us, cooperation with these three important neighbours is a core component of our 'Look East' policy, which occupies high priority in India's foreign policy and reflects recognition of the strategic importance of Asia in tomorrow's world and of our place in the evolving global economy," he added.