Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen today (November 23, 2023) said he is not carrying any special message from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina or there is "no hidden agenda" as he leaves for New Delhi tomorrow to hold talks with his Indian counterpart, scheduled for Friday. He, however, said the Bangladesh side will definitely inform the Indian side if they have queries regarding the next national election. Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Masud said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is multifaceted. Read: AL’s main task is to prevent propaganda, sabotage ahead of polls: Obaidul Quader Efforts to keep the relationship unhindered and smooth before, during and after the election may come up for discussions, he said. The foreign secretary said he will brief diplomats from countries that do not have missions in Dhaka about the situation in Bangladesh and the government’s efforts to hold a free and fair election. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said no political issues will be discussed in the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries. Read: Way towards green, sustainable businesses in Asia and the Pacific pointed at UN forum in Hong Kong "I don't think so. Political discussion has already been done. There will be no discussion about politics there," Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when a reporter wanted to know whether politics and the upcoming election will be discussed in the forthcoming meeting. The foreign minister said it is a routine meeting between the two countries where various issues of mutual interest will be discussed. "We do FOC (Foreign Office Consultations) with many countries. It is a routine matter," he added. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen is scheduled to hold the regular bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday. This is the second foreign secretary-level meeting between the two countries this year. The first one was held in February in Dhaka. At the Foreign Office Consultations, the two countries usually discuss all the major issues of mutual interests to promote cooperation encompassing all sectors. Read: ‘Those threatening to foil polls had shown bias towards undemocratic change in power in the past’ Recently, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the relationship between Bangladesh and India today stands out as a model in terms of shared benefits. In an interaction in London, he said the two countries have settled the land boundary and maritime border issues. Jaishankar highlighted connectivity cooperation, energy supply and use of ports and noted that Bangladesh-India ties stand as model ties.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday (November 20, 2023) said no political issues will be discussed in the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries. "I don't think so. Political discussion has already been done. There will be no discussion about politics there," Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when a reporter wanted to whether political and upcoming elections will be discussed in the forthcoming meeting. The Foreign Minister said it is routine meeting between the two countries where various issues of mutual interest will be discussed. "We do FOC (Foreign Office Consultations) with many countries. It is a routine matter," he added. Read: Try to figure out a way to have dialogue without pre-conditions: Peter Haas urges parties Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen is scheduled to visit India on November 23 or 24 to hold a regular bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Vinay Mohan Kwatra. This is the second foreign secretary-level meeting between the two countries this year. The first one was held in February in Dhaka. Both the countries express their satisfaction on the excellent bilateral relation that exists between the two countries. In the Foreign Office Consultations, the two countries usually discuss all the major issues of mutual interests to promote cooperation encompassing all sectors. Read: No scope for dialogue now: Quader acknowledges receiving Donald Lu’s letter from Peter Haas Recently, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the relationship between Bangladesh and India today stands out as a model in terms of shared benefits. In an interaction in London, he said the two countries have settled the land boundary and maritime border issues. Jaishankar highlighted connectivity cooperation, energy supply and use of ports and noted that Bangladesh-India ties stand as model ties. Read more: With whom dialogue will take place, FM wants to know

At the Voice of the Glocal South Summit hosted virtually by India on Thursday, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi called on leaders of the Global South to unitedly forge a common agenda for its own development and for the three-fourth of humanity that lives in it. Bangladesh, represented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was invited to the inaugural session where world leaders shared their country’s views. She thanked the Indian government for inviting Bangladesh to this important summit that would provide it a unique opportunity to engage with counterparts world over. Read more: Modi rolls out 5G mobile internet services in India PM Hasina warmly congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government of India on assumption of G20 Presidency and added that Bangladesh welcomes India's vision as the President of G20 to ensure inclusive development under the theme, "One Earth, One Family, One Future". PM Modi spoke of the Global South as a united entity with the greatest stakes in the future and added that India has always stood for the greater role of developing countries in determining our common future. To reshape the global emerging order, he called for an equivalent voice of the Global South. To redesign global political and financial governance, remove inequities, enlarge opportunities, support growth and spread progress and prosperity, he called for simple, scalable and sustainable solutions to transform the Global South and proposed a 4R strategy - ‘Respond, Recognize, Respect and Reform’: Respond to the priorities of the Global South by framing an inclusive and balanced international agenda; Recognize that the principle of ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’ applies to all global challenges; Respect sovereignty of all nations, rule of law and peaceful resolution of differences and disputes; and Reform international institutions, including the United Nations, to make them more relevant. Human-centric development came out as an-important important priority from all the world leaders. Read more: India’s G20 agenda to be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, decisive: Modi