THE country and India will try to bridge the gap in their bilateral relationship, which emerged after the ouster of the Awami League regime, in the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC), diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi said.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will lead the respective sides, while officials from other relevant ministries, including commerce, water and home, will also be present at the FOC, which will be held at the State Guest House Padma.
Misri is also likely to call on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.
This is the first high-level visit from India to Bangladesh after the political changeover on Aug 5.
Earlier on Aug 16, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken over the phone.
In late September, Touhid Hossain and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“The FOC will be more a meeting on how to bridge the gap (and) set the political tone,” a diplomatic source in New Delhi said.
Another diplomatic source in Dhaka said Bangladesh will seek political support from India for the Yunus-led interim government.Since Sheikh Hasina took shelter in India, the bilateral relationship saw strains, with Indian visas becoming limited for Bangladeshis and affecting trade and tourism between the two countries.
The Indian-funded connectivity projects were also suspended for some weeks on security grounds after Aug 5.
Meanwhile, the arrest of a Hindu priest Chinmay Khrishna Das on charges of sedition and the denial of his bail in late November triggered demonstrations in various parts of India.
The Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala also came under attack, sparking protests in Bangladesh.
“We would expect that they (India) would hold a fruitful discussion,” Touhid said at an event at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday, referring to the FOC.
“After Aug 5, there has definitely been a change in the quality of our relationship with India.
“If we want to solve any problem, we need to admit there’s a problem,” he said.
“We hope we can overcome the stalemate. For this, the most important thing is mutual communication.” — The Daily Star/ANN
