Bangla Press Desk: India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has stressed the need for a meeting with Bangladesh’s prime minister Tarique Rahman, saying direct engagement between the two leaders could help resolve outstanding differences and address the concerns of people in Bangladesh.
Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Tuesday that Modi had conveyed the message after the envoy returned to New Delhi following a meeting with Rahman.
“After meeting the prime minister here, I went straight to Delhi, and I had a great meeting with our prime minister. He just mentioned one thing: we need to meet,” Trivedi said at a programme in Dhaka.
He quoted Modi as assuring that Rahman would receive a “honourable reception” during a visit to India and that the trip would be memorable, with the ultimate benefit going to people on both sides.
Trivedi said Modi viewed the proposed visit as the beginning of a “golden chapter” in relations between the two neighbours.
“We should not forget the past, but at the same time we should move on,” he said, conveying what he described as the Indian prime minister’s position.
The high commissioner said differences between the two countries were inevitable in a democratic relationship but should not prevent Dhaka and New Delhi from engaging with each other.
“If issues are not there, then it’s not democracy,” Trivedi said. “There are issues; there is no doubt about it.”
He said India had been working closely with Bangladesh’s ministers in recent weeks to address differences and build on areas of common interest.
Trivedi also sought to underline the importance of the two countries’ shared history and culture, saying India’s “neighbourhood first” policy meant that New Delhi wanted to maintain close relations with Bangladesh despite recent difficulties.
“We have all gone through hiccups here and then. I think that’s quite natural. That also happens in a family, but that doesn’t mean that we move away,” he said.
The envoy described Rahman as a “people’s person” and congratulated him on his landslide electoral victory. He noted that Modi had been the first foreign leader to congratulate Rahman and had invited him to visit India.
India’s external affairs minister and speaker had subsequently visited Bangladesh, Trivedi said, adding that New Delhi was now “eagerly waiting” for the prime ministerial visit.
He acknowledged that there were concerns on both sides but said these could be addressed through direct political engagement.
“This is a partnership of equals,” Trivedi said. “These concerns can only be mitigated once you meet.”
He also appealed to the younger generation in both countries to look towards the future, while acknowledging the sacrifices and struggles that had shaped the “new Bangladesh”.
“The foundation of any long-lasting relation is mutual and unconditional trust,” he said. “I fully understand there are issues, but these issues can definitely be sorted out.”
Bangladesh’s state minister for foreign affairs, Shama Obaid, meanwhile, called for a broader economic partnership with India, while acknowledging persistent structural imbalances in bilateral trade.
“India remains a major trading partner of Bangladesh in the region, and our bilateral trade has been growing significantly over the years,” she said.
But she noted that trade between the two countries remained “structurally imbalanced” and below its potential.
Obaid said Bangladesh should seek to expand trade, business and investment opportunities while making better use of regional frameworks including Saarc and Bimstec.
She urged Indian companies with established distribution networks to increase sourcing from Bangladesh, particularly in sectors where the country is already competitive, including ready-made garments, textiles, jute and jute products, leather and footwear, pharmaceuticals, agro-processing, ceramics, plastics and light engineering.
The minister also pointed to non-tariff barriers, standards and testing requirements as obstacles to the smoother movement of goods and services between the two countries.
She said she had discussed the concerns with Indian business leaders and assured them that Bangladesh would work to resolve practical obstacles to trade and investment.
“We want more vibrant trade and investment and communication between the two countries,” Obaid said.
The remarks came as Dhaka and New Delhi seek to reset bilateral relations after a period of tension, with both sides signalling t
.jpg)
