Bangladesh on Thursday raised historical unsettled issues with Pakistan, including a formal public apology for the atrocities committed against Bangladesh during 1971 War of Liberation by the Pakistan forces and pending financial claims from Pakistan.
"These issues need to be resolved for having a solid foundation of our relations," Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh sees willingness from the Pakistan side to remain engaged on those issues as the talks began between Dhaka and Islamabad after 15 years.
Asked what the reply from the Pakistan side was, the Foreign Secretary said they assured them of remaining engaged with Bangladesh in the coming discussions. "They (Pakistan) would like to remain engaged. Our aim was to flag the issues," he said.
Pakistan FS meets Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser to strengthen bilateral ties
The Foreign Secretary said Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to pay an official visit to Bangladesh on April 27-28.
He hoped that direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan would be launched soon.
The Foreign Secretary said Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain separately and discussed issues of mutual interest.
Earlier, Bangladesh and Pakistan held Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) at State guesthouse Padma as the two South Asian countries are keen to strengthen their ties.
Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch led their respective delegation at the FOC.
The FOC marks the first such meeting since 2010.
Director General of South Asia Wing at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Ishrat Jahan and High Commissioners of Bangladesh and Pakistan also attended the meeting.
Pakistan wanted to hold the consultations with Bangladesh as part of Islamabad’s efforts to strengthen the ties with Dhaka.
Ishaq Dar’s upcoming trip to Dhaka will mark the first visit by a Pakistani Foreign Minister since 2012.