Away from the present-day situation, India and Bangladesh share bonds of history, language, culture, and multitude of other commonalities. The excellent bilateral ties reflect an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust, and understanding that goes far beyond a strategic partnership.
The bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh has been a multi-faceted partnership bringing benefits to the people of both countries through enhanced trade and investments, increased connectivity and more people-to-people exchanges.
In 1971, India played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s independence, supporting Bengali rebels against Pakistan and helping create the new nation. India and Bangladesh signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1972, with Bangladesh’s leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring India a cornerstone of his foreign policy.
In order to continue with the same, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during his meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain in Dhaka, stated that India had an opportunity to assess the situation following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Monday said he raised concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh and stressed on its desire to establish a close working relationship with the neighboring country. The statement comes at a time when minorities, especially Hindus, are facing attacks in Muhammad Yunus-led nation.
The tensions have grown over the recent arrest in Bangladesh of a Hindu spiritual leader under the interim government. India stopped issuing visas for Bangladeshis except emergency medical visas after Hasina’s ouster.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri who met Bangladesh foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain in Dhaka, said India had the opportunity to take stock of the situation after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
“We want positive relationship with Bangladesh, which will mutually benefit us. I emphasized that India desires a positive, constructive, and beneficial relationship with Bangladesh. We want people-centric relationship, and we have a desire to work closely with the current interim government in Bangladesh,” he said.
Misri said he raised concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, particularly in wake of the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das and attacks on Hindus in recent weeks.
“We also had the opportunity to discuss certain recent developments and issues, and I conveyed our concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities. We also discussed some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties,” he said.
“A constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities, and we look forward to moving the relationship forward in a positive, forward-looking, and constructive direction,” he added.
Misri met Hossain on a courtesy call after conducting high-level talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin, amid strained bilateral relations between the two countries following Hasina’s ouster in August.
It was ‘First Formal Meeting Since Hasina’s Ouster’
India’s foreign secretary arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day on an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet for a day’s visit. Soon after his arrival, he met Jashim Uddin and held one-on-one talks before the formal meeting with delegates from both sides. It is the first high-level visit by an Indian official since August 5 when Hasina was ousted.
A day before the meeting on Sunday (December 8), Hossain expressed optimism that Bangladesh and India will be able to overcome the kind of standoff that the two neighboring countries witnessed over the last couple of months.
“We expect that we will be able to overcome this impasse. Establishing mutual communication and meeting each other is very important to overcome any such stalemate,” he said.
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