Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said Bangladesh wants good relations with India on a reciprocal basis, hinting that Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between the two countries might take place a day ahead instead of December 10.       

“It is very clear that we want good relations but it should be reciprocal. We need to work to that end,” he told reporters while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asked about the FOC, Hossain said it may take place one day ahead of the schedule, or it will be held on December 10 in Dhaka.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is likely to be in Dhaka on December 9 or 10 accordingly as both Bangladesh and India are preparing for the Foreign Secretary-level meeting.

Once finalised, this is going to be the first visit to be paid by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, came to power in August 8, a diplomatic source told UNB on Wednesday.

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However, there has been no official announcement yet regarding his visit to hold the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin.

The discussion is likely to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India and visa issues.

At the Foreign Ministry's weekly briefing on November 21, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing Toufique Hasan confirmed that an inter-ministerial meeting has already taken place to coordinate preparations for the upcoming talks.

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“There is a scope for discussion on the matter (extradition of Sheikh Hasina),” Hasan said at a weekly media briefing.

Sheikh Hasina, who fled Dhaka on August 5 and has been residing in India since then, is facing trial in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising.

While the government intends to bring her back, Hasan emphasised that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet received any formal directive to initiate the extradition process.

“We will engage with Delhi and begin the formal process in accordance with the existing extradition treaty once we receive the necessary instructions,” he clarified in response to queries.

Regarding the review of existing agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between the two countries, Hasan said that these fall under the jurisdiction of various ministries in Bangladesh.