India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has wound up the first high level discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Jashimuddin, since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August.
In Dhaka on Monday, Misri gave journalists some context, noting that Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus not only spoke at the Global South Summit in August in Delhi, he and Prime Minister Modi had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
Misri said “Today’s discussions have given both of us the opportunity to take stock of our relations and I appreciate the opportunity to have had a frank and candid exchange of views with my interlocutors.
“India desires a positive, constructive and muturally beneficial relationship with Bangladesh … I have underlined India’s desire to work closely with the interim government ..”
He said “I conveyed our concerns including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities, we also discussed some regrettable incident of attacks on cultural, religious and diplomatic properties. A constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities and we look forward to moving the relationship in a positive direction.”
It was not clear if Misri addressed other issues including the removal of visa restrictions on Pakistanis, reports about Dhaka’s purchase of arms and ammunition from Islamabad and concerns about the rise of right wing groups with pronounced anti-India agendas.
He underscored that India sees relations with Bangladesh as “people-centric and people oriented … reflected on a daily basis in the development projects that have been executed on the ground and that continue to be developed.”
He noted the “mutually beneficial engagement” on a whole set of issues ranging from trade, commerce, connectivity, power, water and energy to consular and cultural cooperation.
Misri also called on Mohammad Touhid Hossein, the foreign affairs adviser to the Interim Government, and Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus.
