Staff Correspondent, Dhaka;
Bangladeshi Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a wide-ranging discussion on Friday, addressing several key issues including the potential extradition of former ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina, accused in numerous criminal cases, has been in India after she fled Bangladesh in the face of a mass uprising in August last year, ending her 15 years rule.
The sharing of waters from trans-boundary rivers and border killings were among other topics raised during their first-ever bilateral meeting, held on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, stated that all matters of mutual interest were discussed. “The meeting was very constructive, productive, and fruitful,” he said.
This bilateral dialogue is being regarded as the most significant development in Dhaka-Delhi relations since the July-August uprising in Bangladesh.
It marked the first in-person meeting between the two South Asian leaders since the formation of Bangladesh’s interim government on August 8, following the fall of the previous administration.
During the meeting, Yunus presented Modi with a photograph showing Indian Prime Minister Modi awarding a gold medal to Yunus at the 102nd Indian Science Congress, held in Mumbai on January 3, 2015.
According to a UNB report, several senior officials were present during the meeting, including Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Chief Adviser’s High Representative Khalilur Rahman, Principal Coordinator on SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed, and Foreign Secretary Md Jashim.
Earlier, Bangladesh had formally requested a meeting between Yunus and Modi through diplomatic channels, aiming to hold it on the summit’s sidelines.
In his pre-departure statement, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of regional cooperation.
“I look forward to meeting the leaders of the BIMSTEC countries and engaging productively to further strengthen our collaboration, keeping the interests of our people in mind,” he said before departing for Thailand and Sri Lanka on Thursday.