A top advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh said on Monday that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India will not affect the bilateral relations between the two countries. He said that Dhaka will always try to maintain good relations with New Delhi. According to the report of news agency United News of Bangladesh, Foreign Affairs Advisor Mohammad Tauheed Hossain made this comment when he was asked whether bilateral relations with India would be affected if Hasina’s stay in India gets prolonged.
Responding to this question he said, ‘This is an imaginary question. If someone lives in a country then why would relations with that particular country be affected? There is no reason for this. Tauheed Hussain emphasized that bilateral relations are a big matter. Sheikh Hasina, 76, was forced to resign as prime minister last week and flee to India following widespread protests against her government over the controversial job quota system. Tauheed Hussain, advisor on foreign affairs in the interim government of Bangladesh, said, ‘Bilateral relations depend on the interest of both parties. Friendship is also a relationship of interest between two people. If interests are hurt, friendship ceases to exist.
Bangladesh will always want good relations with India: Tauheed Hussain
He said that in the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India, both sides have vested interests and they will protect their respective interests. Tauheed Hussain said that Bangladesh will always try to maintain good relations with India. Earlier, he informed Indian diplomats posted in Dhaka, including India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Prannoy Verma, about the current situation in his country and sought their support. Hussain told Indian diplomats, ‘We believe that all our friends and partner countries in the international community will stand with the interim government and our people. Because we are planning a new future for Bangladesh.
Our policy is to maintain good relations with all countries: Hussain
Hussain also said that he was not giving up any commitments with any country, as those commitments were not made by any individual but by Bangladesh. During Tauheed Hussain’s first press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was asked by journalists about the possibility of Sheikh Hasina’s return to Bangladesh. He replied that the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Law Ministry and my office will respond only when the Law Ministry makes such a request. Tauheed Hussain said, ‘Our policy is to maintain good relations with all countries while protecting our national interests.’
Want to take Dhaka-Delhi relations forward in the right direction: Hussain
Tauheed Hussain, who served as Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, said, ‘We intend to maintain smooth and positive relations with all, including India and China.’ Asked about the interim government’s approach towards India, Hussain said the two countries share a strong and deep relationship. Hussain, who has served as a diplomat and former foreign secretary, said, ‘It is important that people realize that India is a good friend of Bangladesh. We want this, we want to take (Dhaka-Delhi) relations forward in that direction.