India desires positive, constructive ties with Bangladesh: MEA
India desires positive, constructive and forward-looking ties with Bangladesh, and New Delhi is ready to discuss with Dhaka all bilateral issues within the existing structured mechanisms, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.
The comment by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came during his bi-weekly briefing on multiple queries related to the current state of bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh, and whether External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is going to have a meeting with a Bangladesh delegation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
“I do not have any information on whether the external affairs minister is going to have a meeting with the Bangladesh delegation, but I will keep you updated if there are any developments of this nature,” Jaiswal said.
Jaishankar reached New York on Sunday, leading the Indian delegation for the 81st session of the UNGA. He has held a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the high-level session.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday left for New York on a five-day visit during which he will address the UNGA, attend UN programmes and hold bilateral and multilateral meetings.
The state-run BSS news agency of Bangladesh said that on the sidelines of the UNGA, Rahman would hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Pakistan, Bhutan, Thailand, Croatia, Haiti and the Crown Prince of Kuwait. Jaiswal was also asked if Bangladesh’s foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam, who is set to be the country’s new high commissioner in New Delhi, as reported by several media outlets, indicated that the bilateral ties are “back on track”.
“On the trajectory of the bilateral relationship, we have said this in the past as well, India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh. We are ready to discuss all the issues within the structured mechanisms that we have right now. We want to take this relationship forward in a positive and constructive direction, in a forward-looking manner,” Jaiswal said.
The relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed a major downturn after the interim Government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina Government in August 2024 in the face of a massive student-led agitation.
A new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Government, led by Prime Minister Rahman, came to power in February following the parliamentary elections.
Rahman did no the attend the recent BRICS Summit in Delhi, hosted under the India’s chairship.
India earlier said that the Bangladesh prime minister had received two separate invitations, one for a bilateral visit and another to attend the BRICS Summit as the chair of BIMSTEC.
Asked if the Bangladesh Air Force’s participation in the upcoming multilateral air exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ in India was a sign that ties between New Delhi and Dhaka were getting better, Jaiswal reiterated, “We desire positive, constructive and forward-looking ties with Bangladesh.”
Bangladesh is among seven foreign nations which are going to participate in the exercise to be hosted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Jodhpur Air Force Station from September 26 to October 12.
