Bangladesh-India ties in ‘readjustment’ phase: Adviser

Bangladesh’s ties with India are not cold but are currently at a stage of ‘readjustment’, said Foreign Adviser Towhid Hossain on Thursday.

The adviser said this when he was asked whether the present cold ties with India were desirable.

“I do not want to label our ties with India as ‘cold’, but it is at the stage of readjustment, and from our side, there is no lack of sincerity,” the adviser told reporters at the Ministry.

There is no denying that our ties with India now are not as close as they were during the previous government, he noted.

Responding to a question, he said that Bangladesh has no plan at present to form any alliance with China and Pakistan, as rumoured following the meeting of the foreign secretaries of the three countries in Kunming recently.

It was a meeting that took place on the sidelines of a fair, and mainly trade and connectivity issues were discussed there, he added.

It was not a structured meeting, and there should not be any speculation, he said, adding that perhaps the presence of China and Pakistan fuelled the speculation.

But he made it clear that if India were to invite Bangladesh to a meeting to discuss connectivity issues, it would take part in the same spirit.

He said that Bangladesh has good ties with Myanmar, except for the issue of the Rohingyas.

And this problem can be solved when Rohingyas in Bangladesh can go back to their homeland in Myanmar to live a normal life.

He said a lot has changed in Myanmar since the beginning of the Rohingya crisis, especially a massive change that took place in areas adjacent to the Bangladesh border, making things more complicated.

He hoped that the issue will be resolved someday, as efforts are ongoing.

Responding to a question, he said that Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus may visit Malaysia in August, but the exact date is yet to be fixed.

He said that many Bangladeshis who sought government help for being evacuated from Iran have now informed the Ministry that they do not want to return home, as the war has ended.

However, the Foreign Ministry is on standby to provide help to Bangladeshis in Iran if they wish to leave the country, he said.