New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Tauheed Hussain in New York on Tuesday. This was the first high-level meeting between New Delhi and the interim government of Dhaka. Let us tell you that the government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed after Sheikh Hasina was removed from the post of Prime Minister last month.
The meeting focused on ‘strengthening’ bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries and discussed mutual interests.
“Had a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammed Touhid Hossain in New York this evening. The talks focused on our bilateral relations,” External Affairs Minister Jaishankar wrote on Twitter.
The meeting of the two ministers comes at a time when Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry on Monday lodged a ‘diplomatic protest’ with the Indian High Commission in Dhaka over the recent remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah ‘regarding Bangladeshi citizens’ during his visit to Jharkhand.
India has been trying to normalise relations with Bangladesh despite the political events that took place last month and the continuous targeting of the Hindu community. But the interim government in Dhaka has been accused of making ‘baseless statements’ in the last few weeks.
Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had rejected as “baseless” allegations levelled by Bangladesh’s interim government that India was “intentionally” releasing excess water into the neighbouring country.
There was also speculation in the media about a meeting between PM Modi and Mohammad Yunus on the sidelines of the UN’s ‘future summit’ on Monday. However, the meeting could not take place due to the different arrival and departure times of the leaders.
When asked about this at a press conference, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “The Prime Minister is leaving in a few minutes from now. The Chief Advisor of Bangladesh has not arrived here yet, so there is no possibility of a meeting on this occasion.”
–IANS
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