Honourable reception awaits Bangladesh PM Rahman if he visits India, says envoy

India has signalled a willingness to strengthen ties with Bangladesh, with High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi saying Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would receive an honourable welcome in India. Both sides are seeking to resolve differences and expand cooperation in trade, business, education, healthcare and employment 

Dhaka: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would be accorded an “honourable reception” if he decides to visit India, local media reported.

Addressing a reception hosted for leading Bangladeshi business leaders and a delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at a Dhaka hotel, Trivedi said, “After meeting the prime minister here, I went straight to Delhi and had a great meeting with our prime minister. He (PM Narendra Modi) just mentioned one thing: we need to meet.”

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According to Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star, the Indian High Commissioner mentioned that PM Modi has stated that when the Prime Minister of Bangladesh visits India, he will have such an “honourable reception as he deserves”. Last week, Trivedi called on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi, a day after he paid a courtesy call on PM Rahman in Dhaka.

Emphasising that Rahman’s potential visit would be a “memorable” one, Trivedi said it could benefit people and businesses in both countries. He admitted that the bilateral relationship had encountered “hiccups”, but maintained that such setbacks should not erode the longstanding ties between the two nations. “I can tell you I fully understand there are issues, but these issues can definitely be sorted out once the prime minister of Bangladesh and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet,” said the Indian High Commissioner.

“We need to get ourselves together… I’m not telling you to forget the past. Keep it, but sort out the differences. And move on. Don’t get stagnant,” he added. Trivedi highlighted people-to-people ties, employment, education and healthcare as key areas in which the two countries could further expand cooperation.

He said that New Delhi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy underscores the importance India places on its relationship with Bangladesh. He noted that a series of high-level engagements, including visits by India’s External Affairs Minister and Speaker, as well as his own posting to Dhaka, reflected New Delhi’s desire to give fresh impetus to bilateral ties.

He said that Indian officials had been working closely with the Bangladeshi leaders in recent weeks to resolve differences and gain an understanding of the concerns of the people of Bangladesh, adding that the relationship should be seen as “a partnership of equals”.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka hosted the business reception on Tuesday, bringing together the visiting delegation from the CII and leading members of the business community in Bangladesh for meaningful interactions.

According to the Indian High Commission, the discussions were aimed at advancing bilateral economic and commercial cooperation and fostering stronger business-to-business linkages between India and Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also attended the programme and delivered the keynote speech.