Bangladesh on Sunday said that it is hopeful that its relationship with India will continue to improve as Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri prepares to visit the country on Monday. Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus’ press secretary Shafiqul Alam said that while Dhaka hopes for “improved relations” with New Delhi, it expects the relationship to based on “fairness”.
“We are actually hoping that our relation with India will further improve. We have told it earlier too, we have linguistic, historic and cultural ties with India. In this context, we surely want a further improved relation with India so that people from both countries can reap the benefits. At the same time, we want our relations with India to be based on fairness, equality and dignity,” the press secretary to the chief adviser of Bangladesh said while responding to questions about the visit, Prothom Alo reported.
Misri’s visit comes amid rising tensions in the region, including violence against Hindus and attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh. India has raised concerns about the situation, particularly in the wake of incidents involving Hindu temples and the arrest of Iskcon monk Chinmoy Krishna Das. India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, reiterated that Bangladesh’s interim government must ensure the protection of all minorities.
On the Bangladeshi side, authorities are set to address their own concerns during the visit, including the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and the treatment of minorities in India. The strained relationship has also been marked by protests in India over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, which further complicates the diplomatic dialogue.
Foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain expressed confidence that the visit would help resolve the recent impasse. “We expect that we will be able to overcome this impasse,” Hossain said. He stressed the importance of mutual communication and hoped the discussions would lead to positive outcomes. This will be the first high-level visit from India since the formation of the interim government in Bangladesh.
“We want to bring to book Sheikh Hasina bringing her back to the country… She is the main commander of killing over 1,500 people in July-August. Earlier, she was the head of the government when people were made victims of enforced disappearance,” he said.
During Misri’s visit, key issues such as border management, water-sharing agreements, and trade relations are expected to be discussed. Bangladesh has stressed the importance of addressing these bilateral matters for the future prosperity of both nations.