[🇧🇩] Indo-Bangla Relation: India's Regional Ambition, Geopolitical Reality, and Strategic Options For Bangladesh

[Saif]

Dhaka-Delhi ties won’t get stuck on single issue

Foreign adviser to visit China on Jan 20

www.thedailystar.net

Dhaka-Delhi ties won’t get stuck on single issue
Says foreign adviser

Photo: Courtesy/UNB

Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain today said maintaining good ties with three powers -- India, China and the United States -- and addressing the Rohingya issue are among the government's top priorities in 2025.

He also said that no single issue will hinder the Dhaka-Delhi ties.

"Resolving the Rohingya crisis, maintaining good relations with the three important countries and creating a more stable position on economic and diplomatic fronts are the priorities," he said while talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asked what will be the impact on Dhaka-Delhi ties if India refuses to return former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Touhid said the two countries have many bilateral issues and this is just one of them.

"We have many issues of mutual interest. We will deal with those simultaneously," said the adviser.

On December 23, Dhaka sent a diplomatic letter (note verbale) to Delhi seeking the extradition of Hasina. The interim government is yet to receive a reply from the Indian side.

BILATERAL VISIT TO CHINA

Meanwhile, the foreign adviser said he would pay a visit to China on January 20 to discuss bilateral issues.

"Our relationship with all the three countries [India, China, US] is important. I am going there on China's invitation," he said.

Touhid, however, did not go into details about the issues to be discussed during his visit to China.

He said Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin has convened an inter-ministerial meeting to fix the agenda.

TIES WITH INDIA, CHINA, US

Touhid said maintaining strong ties with India, China and the United States are Bangladesh's priorities.

"We want good relations with our neighbour. We want good relations with the United States. We also want good relations with China," he said, referring to mutual interest Bangladesh shares with these three countries.

Touhid hoped that ties with these countries will improve and strengthen by the end of the year.

Touhid said the country can expect better days as some sort of stability has returned to Bangladesh after the recent turmoil.

He also said things will become smoother in terms of economic and foreign relations.

Touhid said the Rohingya issue will be very challenging considering the ground reality. He said their aim is to make sure the Rohingyas can return to Myanmar with safety and dignity.​

 

[Saif]

Want India-Bangladesh ties to move in positive direction, made our position on border fencing clear: MEA

India wants its ties with Bangladesh to move in a “positive direction” and bilateral relations to do well for the people of the two nations, adding that New Delhi’s approach with Dhaka has been ‘positive’, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday

en.prothomalo.com

Want India-Bangladesh ties to move in positive direction, made our position on border fencing clear: MEA
ANI
New Delhi
Published: 17 Jan 2025, 21: 24

Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal File photo

India wants its ties with Bangladesh to move in a “positive direction” and bilateral relations to do well for the people of the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday

He further said that New Delhi’s approach with Dhaka has been ‘positive’.

He also spoke on the recent summoning of the Dhaka envoy by New Delhi and reiterated India is committed to ensuring a crime-free border with Bangladesh.

“Our position as far as India-Bangladesh relations are concerned have been articulated a number of times. We had the visit of our foreign secretary where we said that we want positive. We want to move in a positive direction. We want federal relations with the people of Bangladesh.

We want India-Bangladesh relations to do well for the people of Bangladesh and the people of India. So that is what our approach is, a positive approach, and that remains,” Jaiswal said in a press briefing.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, visited Bangladesh in December last year. He called on the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus and the Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md Touhid Hossain. He also held Foreign Office Consultations with the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, Jashim Uddin.

Misri noted India’s strong support for a “democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive, and inclusive” Bangladesh and emphasized India’s commitment to building a “positive and constructive relationship” with Bangladesh, based on “mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity to each other’s concerns and interests.”

Speaking on the border fencing, the MEA spokesperson said that New Delhi expects that all earlier understandings, in this regard will be implemented by Dhaka in a cooperative approach towards combating such crimes.

“We have made our position very clear. We had summoned the acting deputy acting high commissioner and made our position on border fencing very clear and I would like to reiterate some of the points we made across to our Bangladeshi counterpart. We remain committed to ensuring a crime-free border with Bangladesh by effectively addressing cross-border criminal activities, smuggling and trafficking, barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices, and cattle fences are measures that are aimed at securing the border,” Jaiswal said.

“We expect that all earlier understandings, here I would like to underline, our understandings in this regard will be implemented by Bangladesh in a cooperative approach towards combating such crimes,” he added.

Last week, the Bangladesh Acting High Commissioner to India, Md Nural Islam, was summoned by the MEA. India conveyed to the Bangladesh envoy that New Delhi observed “all protocols and agreements” with regard to security measures at the border, including while fencing.

India also reiterated its commitment to ensuring a “crime-free border” by effectively addressing the challenges of “cross-border criminal activities, smuggling, movement of criminals and trafficking.”

It added that barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices and cattle fences “are measures for securing the border.”

The summon to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner came a day after the Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay Verma was summoned by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry had raised “deep concern” over the recent fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border and summoned the Indian High Commissioner to express its objections.​

 

[Saif]

The Indian physicians are protesting in-front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence. They want Bangladeshi patients to return to Indian hospitals because without them the Indian healthcare industry is on the verge of collapse.

 

[Saif]

India 100 years ago. Enjoy

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Well this is certainly concerning and also - unprofessional.

Bangladesh is neither an officially declared nor "sworn enemy" of India - well at least not yet anyway.

To see the divulging of such personal bias of this nature from such a highly senior officer of the world's fourth largest army against a specific neighbor country (much smaller than India) which even six months ago was an official "friend of India" is at best a puzzlement and at worst, a sign of Indian official hypocrisy.

I hope our Army senior staff are under no delusion and are prepared for the absolute worst....Bangladesh for better or worse is seen as an enemy to India probably worse than Pakistan at this point.

For those idiots in Bangladesh including naive Chetona morons - I say "wake up and smell the hate".

Make alternate arrangements. Senior Indian people in their administration are not happy about Bangladesh being out of Indian grip and they will do their level best to sabotage our progress in any sphere globally. Period.

Bonhomie between Bangladesh and India officially is over, though between people on both sides of Bengal, some such bonhomie still might exist. But that will be of no use going forward for official visas, trade and cultural exchanges.

That is true.