Delhi says relationship with Dhaka not dependent on other countries

India on Friday said it wants to build ties with Bangladesh for the benefit of the people of the two countries and its relationship with Dhaka is not influenced by Dhaka's ties with other countries.

India also expects Dhaka to address the border fencing issue with a spirit of "constructive cooperation" and hopes Dhaka will implement the agreements reached between the two countries.

"Our approach to Bangladesh is to maintain friendly relations with Bangladesh. We want to support a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh. We want to promote bilateral ties so that the people of India and Bangladesh can prosper," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told in his weekly media briefing.

He said India's approach to its ties with Bangladesh "is independent of what is happening in a country's relations with other countries."

Jaiswal's remarks came in response to a question on reports of warming ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

When asked about Bangladesh's increasing military ties with Pakistan and the recent visit of Pakistani officials, he stated that India closely monitors developments in the region affecting national security.

"We keep a close watch on all the developments happening in our neighbourhood that pertain to our national security. We monitor all these developments," said Jaiswal.

Asked about media reports about the BSF-BGB Director General-level meeting in New Delhi next month and its agenda, the MEA spokesman said discussions were ongoing on the proposed meeting. However, no date has been fixed yet.

Asked about the border fencing row, Jaiswal said, "There have been understandings between India and Bangladesh on borer fencing which are aimed at securing the border.

"We expect Bangladesh will approach the issue with a spirit of constructive cooperation," he said, adding that both sides should implement the understandings.