Amid strains over Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina’s media engagement in Delhi last week, High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi held a meeting with the South Asian nation’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.
The meeting took place after the Indian ambassador met with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, and the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Humayun Kabir.
India has extended an invitation to Tarique Rahman to participate in the BRICS summit scheduled for next month, in his capacity as the current Chair of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).
As India and Bangladesh work through a reset in their bilateral relations, a press interaction by ousted Prime Minister Hasina at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia in New Delhi has triggered a strong response from Bangladesh.
Dhaka has condemned the event as a violation of its sovereignty, while New Delhi insists it had no part in organising it and did not support the remarks made at the press conference.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the programme was arranged by a private organisation and that New Delhi had no involvement in the event and did not endorse the opinions expressed there.
Amid the turmoil, the Indian ambassador to Bangladesh has adopted a conciliatory stance and expressed his support for Rahman.
At the inauguration of a play area for children of visa applicants at the Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka, Dinesh Trivedi stated that he remained confident in the relationship between New Delhi and Dhaka.
Trivedi told reporters, "The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is someone we all hold in high regard.
I have listened to his speeches many times, and he speaks sincerely from the heart—that much I have witnessed. He is a leader who is truly connected to the people, just as our own prime minister is a leader of the people."
The Indian envoy has emphasized that dialogue is still the path ahead, stating that issues are resolved when we engage in conversation with one another.
