India and Bangladesh appreciate mutual sensitivity and respect: MEA

India and Bangladesh appreciate mutual sensitivity and respect in building further on their close relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

The assertion came after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen's reported remarks that Indian government and society have an obligation to prevent any development that can fracture the historic ties with Bangladesh.

According to a media report, the Foreign Minister's remarks were in response to the August 5 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Asked about his remarks, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We are confident that both sides appreciate mutual sensitivity and mutual respect in building further on this relationship." "India-Bangladesh relations are exceptionally close and you would have seen the recent remarks by EAM (S Jaishankar) where he has said that Bangladesh is a role model of good neighbourly relations in this region," he said.

Asked about a Bangladeshi media report claiming that the locomotives handed over to Bangladesh recently by India were second-hand, Srivastava said, "We have seen other mischievous stories from the same source which pertain to our ties with Bangladesh."

"It is my understanding that these locos have been provided from our existing inventory based on a specific request and an urgent requirement of Bangladesh," he said. India handed over 10 railway locomotives to Bangladesh at a virtual ceremony earlier this week.

(Photo Credit: PTI)