Dhaka //

Bangladesh must decide what kind of relationship it wants with India – In response to Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s statement, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the interim government Md. Towhid Hossain said, similarly, India must decide what kind of relationship it wants with Bangladesh. Instead of paying attention to what two or four people from the neighborhood said or did not say, we should try to improve our relationship.

The advisor said these things in response to journalists’ questions about Jaishankar’s statement at the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Towhid Hossain said, he (Jaishankar) said, what kind of relationship Bangladesh wants; Bangladesh must decide that. Of course, Bangladesh will decide, what kind of relationship Bangladesh wants with India. Similarly, India must also decide what kind of relationship it wants with Bangladesh. It is a matter for both sides, there is nothing wrong in saying this.

Regarding the government’s decision on its relationship with India, the advisor said, I think we have a clear decision on this matter. We want good working relations with India and there is mutual respect and each has its own interests. We have no ambiguity in this regard.

The Foreign Affairs Advisor said, but he (Jaishankar) said something, different people in Bangladesh are saying various objectionable things from within the government. I do not want to judge it as right or wrong. But my point is, such things are being said to us from here, they are also being said to them from there.

Referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s sending of UN peacekeepers to Bangladesh, Towhid Hossain said, if their Chief Minister could, they would send UN forces here. One of their Union Ministers is constantly making anti-Bangladesh statements. Assuming that these things will continue, we are trying to see if the relationship can be improved, so that is our position. Instead of paying attention to what two or four people from the surroundings say or do, we should try to improve our relationship.

The advisor also alleged that the statements of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was in India at the time, were harmful to Dhaka-Delhi relations. He said, if we want to improve relations, we should stop the various talks that our former Prime Minister is making while being hosted by Indian hospitality. These are actually harmful to relations. It is an accepted fact that his statements are adding fuel to the fire.

Regarding Indian visas, Touhid Hossain said, visas are their right. If they do not give visas to anyone, we have nothing to say. When visas are not being given, we will find alternatives. If there is a problem, we will have to look for alternatives.

The advisor also spoke about the Indian Foreign Minister’s allegations of minority persecution. He said, he has said it again about minorities. This allegation is mainly created by the Indian media, and various people are saying these things in different places due to the fear of the distorted information flow that the Indian media has created. Bangladesh’s minorities cannot be India’s issue. Bangladesh’s minorities are Bangladesh’s issue. India’s minorities are their issue. So, talking about this issue will become internal interference.

Earlier, in his speech at the New Delhi University Literature Festival on Sunday, Jaishankar said that Bangladesh will have to decide what kind of relationship it wants with New Delhi. He also mentioned that these two neighboring countries have a very special history, the roots of which date back to 1971.

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