Bangladesh will welcome a friendly invitation from India if it comes without any conditions or vested interests, BNP Standing Committee member and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Wednesday.
He said Bangladesh wants to maintain friendly relations with all countries based on mutual respect and recognition of their independence and sovereignty.
Rizvi made the remarks while speaking to reporters after paying tribute at the graves of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
He was accompanied by leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Swechhasebak Dal, led by its President SM Jilane and General Secretary Rajib Ahsan, marking the organisation’s 46th founding anniversary.
“Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign country. We want to establish friendly relations with all countries on the basis of equality,” Rizvi said.
He stressed that bilateral friendship cannot be built on conditions or demands.
“Relations with other countries must uphold the sovereignty and independence of every nation,” he said.
On ties with India, Rizvi said Dhaka would welcome an invitation from New Delhi if it were extended in a friendly manner without any conditions or vested interests.
“If India invites Bangladesh without any interests or conditions, the government will welcome it,” he said.
However, Bangladesh would not accept any conditions attached to such an invitation, he added.
Rizvi said a relationship cannot be considered genuine friendship if it comes with specific demands or hidden interests.
He also said the prime minister would maintain Bangladesh’s relations with other countries in line with the principles of mutual respect and sovereignty.
BNP Joint Secretary General Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Swechhasebak Affairs Secretary Mir Sarfat Ali Sapu, Assistant Swechhasebak Affairs Secretary Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel, Swechhasebak Dal Senior Vice-President Yasin Ali and Organising Secretary Nazmul Hasan, among others, were present.
