Bangladesh and India are holding a foreign secretary level meeting in Dhaka next week. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri will come to Dhaka to attend the meeting. On Wednesday (November 4), Adviser on Foreign Affairs met with journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tauhid Hossain announced the date of meeting of foreign secretaries.

The Foreign Affairs Adviser said that the Foreign Office consultation with India will be held on December 10. May be a day earlier or December 10th. It is very clear, we want good relationship. However, it should be sought from both sides, and we should work towards that goal.
Dhaka-Delhi relations have been strained since the political change in Bangladesh on August 5. In such a situation, when the preparations for the meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries are underway in Dhaka, an attack took place on the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura. Earlier, there was a protest in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata, in addition to burning the Bangladeshi flag from the protest, the chief advisor Dr. Burning of effigy of Muhammad Yunus happened.
Delhi has expressed grief over the attack on the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala on December 2. The day after the attack on the High Commission, Indian High Commissioner Prannoy Verma was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka to protest.

Those related to the diplomatic arena say that Bikram Mishri’s visit to Dhaka will review the bilateral issues of the two countries, political understanding, Indian media’s anti-Bangladesh propaganda, Sheikh Hasina’s speech in India, untangling of visas, border killings, distribution of common river water, import of daily commodities from India and Bangladesh to the country. Bangladesh can emphasize on various issues including removing various barriers to export.

Normal processing of Indian visas for Bangladeshis is suspended. Only emergency medical visas and visa services for visiting third countries are open. However, India is talking about manpower shortage. India has assured to start visa service in full swing after increasing the manpower. It is expected that after the meeting of the Foreign Secretary, Delhi may be flexible to some extent in opening the visa bottleneck.

Last September in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Affairs Advisor. India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Tauhid Hossain. In that discussion in New York, there was talk about organizing a meeting at the level of the foreign secretary.

Incidentally, in November last year (2023), a meeting was held at the Foreign Secretary level in Delhi.