Foreign Secretary meets Bangladesh PM; topics of mutual interest likely discussed

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina appreciated her Indian counterpart's gesture in sending Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to further the bilateral ties, sources told ANI. They reportedly discussed issues such as enhancing connectivity, the revival of economy post-COVID, cooperation on COVID-19 assistance including on therapeutics and vaccine and joint commemoration of Mujib Borsho. Moreover, the proposal for the travel bubble for business, official and medical travel figured in the talks. 

Sources noted that security-related issues of mutual interest were on the agenda as well. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina allegedly expressed her gratitude over the supply of locomotives. According to sources, Hasina also spoke about the case of Rohingya Muslims and their possible safe repatriation to Myanmar. 

Read: Vikram Doraiswami Appointed As New Envoy To Bangladesh

Shringla arrived in Dhaka for a two-day visit at around 11.30 am earlier in the day. This is his second visit to Bangladesh after taking over as the Foreign Secretary. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary is likely to meet his counterpart Masud Bin Momen and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen. As per reports, Shringla was likely to convey Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special message to Hasina. 

Bangladesh FM dismisses reports of a rift with India

Recently, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen dismissed reports of his country's alleged rift with India. He was reacting to Indian High Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das being unable to meet Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina. Maintaining that Bangladesh was everyone's friend, he highlighted the historically close relationship with India. According to him, Hasina had not met many foreign ambassadors who had gone back to their respective countries.

In fact, he revealed that the Bangladesh PM was not meeting anyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is chairing Cabinet meetings via video conference. Rejecting any impact of Pakistan PM Imran Khan's phone call to Hasina, Dr. Abdul Momen said that this was not going to affect the bilateral relationship with India. Additionally, he also refuted the charge that his country's position vis-à-vis India had changed because of the relationship with China. Observing that a solution pertaining to the LAC clash should be worked out through negotiations, he reiterated that Bangladesh never meddles into any other country's internal affairs.

Read: Kozhikode Plane Crash: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Offers Condolences To Bereaved Families