After the fall of the Awami League government, Bangladesh's relationship with India should be based on reality, foreign adviser Md. Touhid Hossain. He said this while participating in a seminar organized at North South University on Saturday afternoon.
Advertisement
In a seminar titled 'Bangladesh India Relations: Expectations, Obstacles and Future', the foreign advisor said, 'Until August 5, there was one kind of relationship with India, now it is different. This is the reality. It is in view of this reality that we have to build relations with India and continue to do so.'
He said, 'I believe, India must realize how to advance relations with Bangladesh in the changing situation. Maybe India is already doing that.'
Referring to the current obstacles with India, the advisor said, 'There are some obstacles. No doubt about it. The concerns of the previous government, i.e. India. They tried their best to remove it. We also had some concerns. At the same time, if our concerns were met properly, then there would not have been the fluctuation in bilateral relations. But what we see in Motadag is that the concerns that we had, were not dealt with in that way.
Foreign Affairs Advisor on Bangladesh-India relations. Tauhid Hossain said, 'Relationship is not for one day, one year or one era. It's a matter of time. There is no such thing as always going the same way.'
He also said, 'We want to be optimistic. We can establish a good relationship. So that the interests of both parties are concerned.'
On the border killings, the adviser said, 'I have always said very strongly, even when there have been face-to-face discussions with India, that this is not acceptable under any circumstances. It is the only border in the world where two countries (Bangladesh-India) are not at war, but people are shot dead there.'