Bangladesh-India Discuss Ways to Address Challenges in Bilateral Relations in Meeting in Muscat

Bangladesh-India Discuss Ways to Address Challenges in Bilateral Relations in Meeting in Muscat

Since the political upheaval of August 5, which led to the fall of the Awami League government and the rise of an interim government in Bangladesh, the relationship between Bangladesh and India has been under the most strain in history. Both neighboring countries have acknowledged the challenges that have emerged in their bilateral relations. The two countries have emphasized the importance of working together to overcome these challenges.

On Sunday, Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md. Touhid Hossain, and India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar held a meeting in Muscat, the capital of Oman. The meeting took place during the Indian Ocean Conference. Following the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release stating that Hossain and Jaishankar discussed matters of mutual interest and concerns between the two countries. They also referenced their discussions from the previous year's UN General Assembly in September, the meeting between foreign secretaries in Dhaka last December, and the upcoming conference in Delhi on February 10-11 with the energy advisers.

During the meeting, Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain and Minister Jaishankar expressed hope that the Director General-level meeting between the border guards of both countries would take place in Delhi from February 18 to 20. This meeting is expected to address border-related issues.

Touhid Hossain also stressed the importance of starting discussions to renew the Ganges Water Sharing Agreement between the two countries. He urged the Indian government to consider organizing a meeting of the SAARC Standing Committee.

After the meeting, India's Foreign Minister Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a picture of himself with Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md. Touhid Hossain. In the post, he wrote, "Had a meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain. The discussion focused on bilateral relations and BIMSTEC."

It is notable that this was the second meeting between Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser and India's Foreign Minister since the political upheaval in Bangladesh on August 5, which led to the downfall of the Awami League government and the assumption of power by the interim government. The two had previously met in New York during the UN General Assembly last September.

According to diplomatic sources, the meeting in Muscat lasted less than half an hour. During the discussion, both emphasized the need to work together to address the challenges arising in the current context of their bilateral relations. The issue of organizing a meeting between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the upcoming BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok in April was also raised.