Agartala, December 09, 2024: Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri underscored the importance of maintaining strong bilateral relations with Bangladesh during a press conference held on Monday afternoon. The conference followed a meeting with Foreign Affairs Advisor Towhid Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.

“We want to see the relationship with Bangladesh in the future as we have seen it in the past,” Misri stated. He emphasized that the Bangladesh government has been informed of India’s concerns regarding the security of minorities, adding, “India wants the protection and development of minorities in Bangladesh.”

This meeting marked the first foreign secretary-level discussion with the new government. “We had an open and constructive exchange of views. Our desire is to have positive, constructive, and mutually beneficial relations between Bangladesh and India, as we have seen in the past and want to see in the future,” Misri said.

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Misri highlighted India’s intention to work closely with the interim government, addressing recent developments and expressing concerns about minority issues. “We had discussions on minority issues. India wants the protection and development of minorities. We hope that the Bangladesh authorities will take positive steps,” he added.

The Foreign Secretary also addressed recent unfortunate incidents, including attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties. “India hopes that Bangladesh will look at the issues with a positive mindset to accelerate the relationship,” Misri noted.

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening ties with the people of Bangladesh, Misri mentioned that the Indian Prime Minister was the first to congratulate the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh following the political change on August 5. “Several issues were discussed in today’s meeting with the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh,” he said.

Misri reiterated India’s commitment to positive relations based on mutual interests. “We had that relationship in the past too, and we want to continue it in the future. This relationship is people-centric, which is beneficial for everyone,” he stated. He also mentioned ongoing efforts to remove obstacles in tourism, trade, communication, electricity, water, energy, and business sectors.

The Indian Foreign Secretary arrived in Dhaka on a special Indian Air Force plane at 8 am to attend the high-level meeting, marking the first such meeting since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.