Bangladesh optimistic about resolving standoff in ties with India

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Bangladesh and India will be able to overcome the stalemate in the relationship witnessed in recent months, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said here on Sunday.

His comments came ahead of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit to Bangladesh on Monday during which he is likely to raise with Dhaka India's concerns over attacks on Hindus after a massive uprising ended deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule in August.

This will be the first visit to be made by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government came to power on August 8.

We expect that we will be able to overcome this impasse. Establishing mutual communication and meeting each other is very important to overcome any such stalemate, Hossain told a seminar titled 'SAARC - People of South Asia Crave' at the National Press Club.

I hope they (foreign secretaries) will have a fruitful discussion, he said.

He noted that it is important to acknowledge that there is a problem if they want to solve any problem.

Hossain, a career diplomat, said it is also important to note that the relations between Bangladesh and India witnessed changes after August 5, and both sides need to try and take forward the relations and accept this changed reality.

The downturn that the two countries witnessed over the last few months in terms of bilateral business activities affected both sides, he said.

He also referred to the impacts on businesses in Kolkata and West Bengal.

Bangladesh's foreign office spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said efforts were made to keep all the elements of the bilateral relations on the agenda during the Foreign Office Consultation with India. He described trade, border management, connectivity, and water issues as the key areas expected to be discussed.

The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August. Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.

The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities as well as attacks on temples in the neighbouring country in the last few weeks that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.

"Our position on the matter is very clear -- the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on November 29.

India also hoped that the case relating to Bangladeshi monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested on a charge of sedition, would be dealt with in a just, fair and transparent manner.

Kathmandu-based SAARC Journalists Forum organised Sunday's seminar. Bangladesh interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in several media interviews expressed his desire to revive the  South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as a vibrant regional grouping for mutual benefit.

Hossain said Yunus was very sincere to revitalise the SAARC.