&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Want to reset ties with India, have engagement based on mutual interests,’ says Bangladesh minister")
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Sunday that Dhaka wants to “reset” its bilateral relationship with India and build a new bilateral engagement based on mutual interests after what he described as an uncomfortable relationship of over 15 years under an “authoritarian, corrupt and exploitative” regime.
“We want to move towards a new relationship, which should be done through bilateral discussions, not through a multilateral forum,” Kobir said while responding to a question during the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press briefing on Sunday.
He said Dhaka wants to move towards a new relationship with New Delhi through bilateral talks.
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The remarks came two days after Bangladesh said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would not attend the BRICS Summit hosted by India because he was not invited to the event in his personal capacity, and that the invitation was instead extended to the BIMSTEC chair. The two-day BRICS Summit concluded on Sunday. India had invited Rahman to attend it as chairman of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, while a separate bilateral invitation had been in place since February.
“We want to build a good working bilateral relationship with India,” he said.
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Kobir said Bangladesh’s first engagement with a country with which it wants to develop better relations should ideally take place through a bilateral visit rather than a meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral forum.
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He also said Bangladesh needs to move beyond what he described as an “excessive preoccupation” with India and approach ties with New Delhi in a balanced way, focusing on mutual interests and treating the relationship as part of its wider engagement with other countries.
PM to leave for New York on Sept 21
“We have to get out of the India fascination. India is just another country, and Bangladesh wants good bilateral relations with it,” he said.
India-Bangladesh ties have been strained over New Delhi providing refuge to Hasina, who fled to India following her ouster in a youth-led agitation in August 2024.
Kobir said Prime Minister Rahman is set to leave for New York on September 21 to attend the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and will stay there until September 26.
Asked about the possibility of a meeting between Rahman and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UNGA, Kobir said such meetings are often decided at the last moment during major international conferences.
“The primary focus of the Prime Minister’s visit is to address the UN General Assembly,” he said, adding that details of the sideline meetings would be known in due course. Overall, Bangladesh said it is seeking a fresh bilateral framework with India while keeping its immediate focus on upcoming diplomatic engagements.
‘PM Tarique Rahman ’s bilateral visit to India should take place’
Bangladesh wants to reset its relations with India and move beyond the nature of ties maintained over the past 15 years, and therefore Prime Minister Tarique Rahman should make a bilateral visit, rather than travel there as part of a multilateral engagement, he said.
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Asked about the chief whip’s statement that 101 agreements signed with India were being re-examined, Kobir said the agreements were being scrutinised and reviewed. “This is a matter under the chief whip’s purview. He will be able to give you the correct answer on this,” he said.
Humaiun Kobir said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would leave Dhaka on 21 September to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Besides addressing the UNGA, the prime minister will hold a meeting on the Rohingya issue on the sidelines this time, he said.
