Dhaka:
Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Mohammad Tauheed Hossain said on Sunday that India and Bangladesh will be able to overcome the impasse in relations in recent months. Hussain’s comments come ahead of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Bangladesh on Monday. During his visit, the Egyptian is likely to raise India’s concerns with Bangladesh over large-scale attacks on Hindus following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister in August.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to resolve this impasse,” Hussain said at a seminar titled ‘SAARC-People of South Asia Crave’ at the National Press Club. To resolve any such impasse, it is very important to establish mutual communication and meet each other.
Hussain said it is also important to note that relations between Bangladesh and India have changed after August 5 and both sides should try to take relations forward and accept this changed reality. He said that both sides have been affected by the decline seen in bilateral trade activities in both the countries in the last few months.
Bangladesh Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said that during the Foreign Office consultations with India, an effort was made to keep all elements of bilateral relations on the agenda. He described trade, border management, connectivity and water issues as the main areas of discussion.
Hasina was forced to leave the country due to massive anti-government protests in August, after which relations between the two countries became tense. Yunus came to power just a few days after Hasina took refuge in India. Relations worsened in recent weeks following attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu saint Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Kathmandu-based SAARC Journalists Forum organized a seminar on Sunday. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the Interim Government of Bangladesh, in several media interviews expressed his desire to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as a vibrant regional grouping for mutual benefit.
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