Bangladesh and India must look ahead and work together despite challenges in their relationship, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Tuesday, stressing that while the past cannot be forgotten, the two neighbours cannot remain stuck in it.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with Local Government Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan at the Secretariat, Trivedi said he did not want to comment on Bangladesh’s internal politics.
“Whatever the people of Bangladesh understand to be best will happen,” he said, adding that the party that won two-thirds of the parliamentary seats is now in power and understands the country’s situation better.
The meeting also focused on local government elections. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said Trivedi shared India’s experience of conducting local elections.
Shahe Alam said Bangladesh plans to hold local government elections during the current fiscal year. Ensuring a free and fair election would make the process particularly challenging, he added.
Trivedi said maintaining direct ties with the people of Bangladesh and India would remain a priority regardless of who serves as high commissioner.
“Our decisions have an impact on common people. So, our responsibility is to do what is good for common people,” he said.
He stressed that the two countries have greater responsibilities as neighbours and that neither side should consider itself superior to the other.
The Indian envoy also said the meeting covered free trade and other areas of cooperation. He acknowledged that challenges would remain but said the two countries needed to move forward while keeping those challenges in mind.
Asked about a possible visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India, Trivedi declined to comment.
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