Bangladesh wants India ties reset
Bangladesh wants to rebuild its relationship with India through direct bilateral engagement, while continuing to raise border security concerns through diplomatic channels.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Sunday clarified that Bangladesh’s preference for a bilateral visit to India does not mean it will avoid meetings with Indian leaders on the sidelines of multilateral conferences.
Kobir made the remarks while responding to journalists’ questions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked whether Bangladesh’s decision not to hold a bilateral meeting with India’s prime minister at a multilateral forum meant it would avoid such meetings, Kobir said, “I have never said that we will not hold bilateral meetings when we attend a multilateral forum.”
He explained that his earlier comment about preferring a bilateral visit applied specifically to India.
Bangladesh wants to establish a good and effective bilateral relationship with its neighbour, and the first engagement should ideally take place through a direct bilateral visit rather than a meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral event, he said.
The state minister said Bangladesh wanted to reset its relationship with India after 15 years of what he described as an uncomfortable relationship with an authoritarian and corrupt government.
“We want to rebuild the bilateral relationship,” he said, adding that the two countries should move towards a new relationship through bilateral discussions.
He stressed that this did not mean Bangladesh would refuse to meet Indian leaders or other foreign leaders at international conferences.
“India is just another neighbouring country with which we want good bilateral relations,” Kobir said, urging journalists not to focus exclusively on India.
He added that Bangladesh would hold bilateral or multilateral discussions with countries whenever necessary, although it would not be possible to meet everyone on the sidelines of a conference.
Asked about the killing of a Bangladeshi at the border and the detention of several others, Kobir said the government would seek to resolve such incidents through diplomacy.
“We will try to resolve these issues through diplomacy,” he said.
He added that Bangladesh would formally raise its concerns with India at every level, based on international law, border protocols and bilateral agreements between the two countries.
Regarding border security and issues covered by existing agreements, the government would continue diplomatic discussions with New Delhi, he said.
Asked about the 101 agreements between Bangladesh and India, Kobir said the agreements were being scrutinised through parliamentary processes.
The question referred to an earlier claim that 10 agreements would be cancelled, which was later denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni’s statement that 101 agreements were under review.
“They are being scrutinised. These are being reviewed through parliamentary processes,” Kobir said.
He referred the matter to the chief whip, saying Nurul Islam was the appropriate person to provide details.
Asked whether Bangladesh would field a new candidate for the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia regional director election scheduled for January, and whether it would take a new decision regarding Saima Wazed Putul, Kobir criticised her appointment.
“Her appointment as regional director for Southeast Asia is a shame for international organizations. You need people who can lead the organisation.
We need to be very serious about these appointments,” Kobir said.
He said her appointment had been made despite a lack of the educational qualifications, experience and expertise required for such a senior international position.
According to Kobir, the previous government had used political and familial influence to secure the appointment.
He said allegations of fraud and corruption involving the family were now coming to light, making an investigation into her position unsurprising.
He argued that international organisations should not appoint people to senior positions based on political or family connections.
“These international bodies ought to make their hiring procedures more rigorous,” he said, adding that the WHO should not be made a laughingstock because of controversial appointments.
“If you put any kind of unqualified people in those positions, the outcome for the region and the world is not going to be good,” he said.
Kobir said Bangladesh hoped to support a qualified candidate in the future, mentioning a candidate from the Maldives who, he said, had a strong track record and proper credentials.
Asked how many countries Bangladesh was working with to recover money and assets allegedly taken out of the country, Kobir confirmed that Bangladesh had already established a partnership with the United Kingdom and was in contact with other countries possessing legal and forensic expertise.
Through legal and diplomatic processes, the government was seeking to bring back the stolen funds and assets so they could be used for public welfare rather than ending up in private pockets, he said.
