Bangladesh seeks ‘new canvas’ in relations with India, says High Commissioner Hamidullah

Bangladeshi High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah says Dhaka is trying to “articulate a new canvas” regarding the relationship with its next-door neighbour, the Times of India reports.

"The effort is to articulate a new canvas where we can look at as a shared future,” he was quoted as saying.

“It is easier said than done, but it is possible. We have divergent views and sensitive issues on the table. But that is the nature of the relationship. If we point out a particular aspect of the canvas, we will not be doing justice.”

Hamidullah’s remarks came at an interactive session organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.

The high commissioner called the relationship between the neighbours “organic”, noting that both countries are growing fast. The “economic engagement” between them also amounts to over Tk 25 billion if sectors like tourism are taken into consideration.

"If you see Bangladesh's import profile and scope for expansion with new capacities being added in ports and logistics, you can see the indications, he said.

“We have not constrained the mobility of Indians into Bangladesh. Bangladesh and India’s relations, as have been before, are anchored in the people in every possible sense.”

Pointing to a Reserve Bank of India report from August, 2025 suggesting a 12 per cent jump in bilateral trade, he said: “I qualify this as mutual interdependence.”

The high commissioner said a Bengali film festival is being planned in New Delhi next year and suggested facilitating tours for people from West Bengal and other parts of India to visit ancestral places in Bangladesh.