Bangladesh and India have stressed deepening collaborations in all sectors for the greater prosperity of the two neighbors.
Both sides held comprehensive discussions on Friday under the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) on a wide range of issues covering border and security, trade, commerce, and connectivity; cooperation in water, power, and energy sectors; people-to-people ties and development cooperation in Bangladesh.
Both sides also exchanged views on sub-regional, regional, and multilateral issues, the Indian external affairs ministry said.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra led the respective delegations at the meeting held at the historic Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
The FOC serves as a key platform for holding a comprehensive discussion with a view to reviewing various bilateral issues and also exploring the new avenues of mutual interests for the greater benefit of the two peoples, the Bangladesh foreign ministry said.
Foreign Secretary Momen thanked the government of India for inviting the Bangladesh Prime Minister to attend the “G20 Leaders’ Summit “as the only South Asian leader under India’s G20 Presidency.
Both the foreign secretaries expressed satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations and the progress made in 2023.
People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) members are suspected of being among those detained, according to pro-junta media, which also blames the increased tension on PDF presence in Mandalay and Yangon.
In the meantime, the junta issues a warning, citing the Telecommunication Law as grounds for prosecution, for using unlicensed satellite devices and other internet services.
This comes after the dictatorship had banned internet usage in a number of areas following the coup in 2021.
In order to increase people-to-people relations, the foreign secretary asked his colleague to accelerate the visa-granting process.
Additionally, he asked India for help in addressing the Rohingya issue.Referring to Bangladesh as a reliable neighbor, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra conveyed his happiness with the strong bilateral ties that exist between the two nations.
He was grateful that the prime minister attended the most recent G20 and Global South virtual sessions.
On Friday night, Foreign Secretary Momen will brief the leaders of the roughly 90 missions headquartered in New Delhi that are also accredited to Bangladesh and have a permanent presence there.
According to the foreign ministry, he is anticipated to highlight Bangladesh’s numerous engagements at the regional and multilateral levels as well as the nation’s recent socioeconomic developments during the briefing. Dhaka would host the Foreign Office Consultations’ subsequent session. On Saturday, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen is scheduled to return to Dhaka.
