"Committed to ensure security of minorities": says Bangladesh Foreign Secretary

During his meeting with Yunus in Bangkok, PM Modi had underlined India's concerns related to the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, and expressed his expectation that the Bangladesh government would ensure their security, including by thoroughly investigating the cases of atrocities committed against them.

Now, the Bangladesh foreign secretary has assured that his nation is committed to ensuring security of minorities in the country.

"The government of Bangladesh is committed to ensuring the safety and security of every citizen, regardless of their creed, colour, religion, or ethnicity. The country does not tolerate any form of violence or intimidation against any of its citizens. We are fully aware of our responsibilities in this regard."

The foreign secretary hoped that the in-person meeting between the two leaders would result in clearing any clouds there were in the relationship of the countries.

"We consider meeting at the highest political level important for both sides. The recent bilateral meeting between Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held on the sidelines of the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, was the first opportunity for both the leaders to have an in-person interaction," the FS told ANI in an interview.

He added, "I consider this as an important step forward to clear the cloud hanging over our heads that held us back in making forward movements. With firm and sincere commitments from both sides to engage constructively, I do not see any reason not to avail this opportunity to restore trust and confidence between our two sides," he added.

Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary emphasised Bangladesh's dedication to open dialogue and collaboration with India and highlighted recent high-level engagements, including the foreign office consultations.

"We believe in dialogue and conversation, and that has been the approach throughout. Last year, we welcomed in Dhaka the Indian foreign Secretary for the foreign office consultations, where we had threadbare discussions on the whole range of issues. Our Foreign Affairs Adviser and his Indian counterpart, Excellency Jaishankar, met twice, which also manifests the worth and value of meeting at that level. In the past months, we had a series of meetings at the functional levels too covering topics such as border and water," Bangladesh Foreign Secretary said.

"If anything, meeting at the highest level should encourage both sides to keep the pace and add momentum in our relationship," he added.

The Bangladesh Foreign secretary also played down the recent parleys that the country has had with Pakistan and China.

"Right now, we are trying to have a normal conversation and relationship with Pakistan based on our own interests. Just to contextualise, we are going to have the next round of foreign office consultations in April, and the last round was held in 2004, more than two decades ago. What we are doing with Pakistan is what we do with any country in our bilateral relationship and it should not cause concern for anyone because our aim is to be mutually benefitted, not at the expense of our relationship with any other country," he said.

The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary also hoped that the South Asia region can grow together, and economic development in one country can complement economic development in another country. (ANI)