Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh held a bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India today at Hotel Shangri La in Bangkok on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit.
The meeting was attended by the Foreign Advisor of Bangladesh, the High Representative of the Indian Foreign Minister and Chief Advisor, the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries, and other senior officials of both sides.
The two leaders appreciated the enduring foundation of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India dating back Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. They reaffirmed commitment to support each other, ensure continuity of bilateral engagements/mechanisms and strengthen bilateral relations placing welfare of the peoples at the heart of bilateral engagements. The Chief Adviser of Bangladesh underscored the importance to shape the bilateral ties on the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs.
Some of the important bilateral issues were raised and discussed during the meeting. Bangladesh expressed deep concern at the killings of Bangladeshi nationals at the Bangladesh-India border. Both sides emphasized the need for coordinated border management to stop illegal border crossing and stop killings at the border.
The Chief Adviser raised several priority issues of Bangladesh including the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, long pending Teesta water-sharing agreement and the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty. The Indian Prime Minister assured that India would continue to engage constructively with Bangladesh to resolve these issues through discussions bilaterally. The issues of alleged rise of ‘extremism’, ‘and ‘persecution of minority’ also came up in the discussions. The Chief Adviser urged the Indian side for reality check against the social media propaganda. He reaffirmed the Interim Government’s strong commitment to ensure safety of all citizens regardless of majority or minority status.
On regional cooperation, Bangladesh underscored the importance of regional collaboration under SAARC and BIMSTEC frameworks and sought India’s support to conclude BIMSTEC FTA during the term of Bangladesh’s chairmanship. The Indian Prime Minister assured full support to Bangladesh during her chairmanship of BIMSTEC.
The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both leaders expressing their commitment to advancing the Bangladesh-India partnership and addressing challenges and concerns through discussions.