Indian Ministry of External Affairs

No update yet on Dr Yunus-Modi possible talks at Bimstec: MEA

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said they have no update to share regarding a likely bilateral meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok, Thailand early next month. “On the meeting that you asked, a bilateral meeting, I don't have any update to share at this point in time,” said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. He made the remarks at a weekly briefing in New Delhi when a journalist wanted to know whether there was a likelihood of Prime Minister Modi meeting the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh Prof Yunus on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit. Responding to a separate question, the MEA Spokesperson said Bangladesh-India relationship is a wide canvas and they have been engaged with Bangladesh on several issues - development cooperation, economic matters and on issues of connectivity. Earlier, Bangladesh approached India through the diplomatic channel to arrange a meeting between Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming Bimstec Summit in Bangkok. Dr Yunus is scheduled to attend the Bimstec Summit, to be held on April 4 in Bangkok, raising hope for a first-ever in person meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines. Rohingyas are victims of racial discrimination and prolonged statelessness: Prof Yunus Thailand will host the 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BImstec) and Bangladesh will take responsibility as the next chair of Bimstec there, officials said. Thailand has taken over the Bimstec Chairmanship from Sri Lanka since 30 March 2022. Bimstec consists of seven member countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Bimstec Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey recently said the Summit will have some significant outcomes. "It will set a direction for the future of Bimstec," he said. Dr Yunus said Dhaka has always insisted that Bangladesh’s relationship with India will be the best relationship ever. Because, he explained, the fate of Bangladesh and India is tied together and they cannot be isolated from each other. “So, we are always encouraging everything to happen in the best possible way,” Dr Yunus told BBC in a most recent interview, adding that the clouds due to some fake news are not part of the relationship that the two countries enjoy. The Chief Adviser thinks Bangladesh and India have an excellent relationship. “We will continue to do it,” he said, describing India as a good business partner of Bangladesh. Dr Yunus is scheduled to leave Dhaka on March 26 for China and both the countries are looking forward to a bilateral meeting on March 28 in Beijing between the two leaders – Dr Yunus and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

5 days ago

India’s future and security linked with Bangladesh, says senior MEA official

Smita Pant, a senior official at the Bangladesh, Myanmar Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said on Tuesday (August 15, 2023) that India's future, particularly its security, is inextricably connected with Bangladesh. Together, Bangladesh and India can achieve a lot, particularly in renewable energy and Sunderbans delta protection, she said. Smita Pant was addressing an event commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, reports Times Now News. Read: Indian MEA spokesperson laughs off speculation on military intervention in Dhaka ahead of election Bangabandhu and his family members were killed in cold blood in 1975, said Pant, adding, the perpetrators, however, were unable to eliminate his values. The dreams of Bangabandhu, "who has few equals in history," are coming true today, she said. The people have rejected extremism, Bangladesh is on its road to becoming a middle-income country, and it provides more UN peacekeepers than almost any other country, the MEA official said. The High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Mohammed Mustafizur Rahman, opened the discussion by saying that Bangabandhu's “struggle and sacrifice in realizing the rights of the deprived and the downtrodden remains a model for the international community. He developed his political philosophy from his experience, in fighting for equality, justice, fundamental human rights, and most particularly, realizing the right to self-determination. In his maiden speech at the United Nations in 1974, Bangabandhu alluded to the overriding importance of ensuring peace and justice for all. He said and I quote, ‘The very struggle of Bangladesh symbolized the universal struggle for peace and justice.' Read: India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi calls for army deployment to end ethnic violence in Manipur “The same voice was echoed at the NAM Summit held in Algiers in 1973, where Bangabandhu said, ‘The world is divided between those who are the oppressors and those who are the oppressed…. We stand for those who are oppressed and those who stand by them in their just struggle for liberation from oppression.’ “The assassins killed Bangabandhu, but they could not wipe out, or erase, the principles and ideals of this great man. His teachings, ideologies and spirit remain deeply ingrained in our hearts,” the report quoted the Bangladesh high commissioner as saying. Bangladesh has made significant progress, according to the high commissioner, "including in the areas of poverty reduction, education, health, and women empowerment." Pankaj Saran, former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, agreed that Bangladesh's socioeconomic statistics were now better than those of Pakistan and, in certain circumstances, India. It was Bangabandhu who envisioned a thriving Bangladesh and good relations with India, he said. Read more: Bangladesh, India trade transactions in rupees will ease pressure on forex reserves: High Commissioner

1 year ago