The friendly relations between Bangladesh and India have grown stronger and reached a newer height under the guidance of Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi. This was stated by Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali in a speech to the officers taking part in the 59th NDC course at National Defence College in New Delhi on Friday.
The envoy spoke on “Framework of Bangladesh-India relations: Opportunities and Challenges”.
Besides, participants from India, the 47-week course has 25 overseas officers from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, the Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), The United States of America (USA) and Vietnam. Syed Muazzem said Bangladesh and India has focused on security, mutual trust, confidence building and promoting physical and people-to-people connectivity. The bilateral relations are so cordial that the two countries have emerged as a role model for neighbourhood diplomacy, he said. He said Sheikh Hasina has restored mutual trust between the two close neighbours and brought about a change in the mindset regarding the bilateral ties.
“There is now a greater recognition on both sides that the destinies of our two neighboring countries are inescapably intertwined and we must grow together,” the freedom fighter diplomat told the officers at the prestigious course.
Syed Muazzem said Bangladesh and India have steadily developed bilateral defence engagements in recent years.
The two countries signed five MoUs on defence cooperation during Sheikh Hasina’s India visit in 2017. The cooperation covers fields of general cooperation, training exchange and procurement of equipment, defence financing, medical cooperation and knowledge sharing between the top defence institutes of both countries.
He said both countries have strengthened security cooperation and are committed to eradicating terrorism. Bangladesh’s avowed policy is not to allow its soil for any terrorist activity against India or any other country. It has received full cooperation from India too, the envoy added.
