Meeting decisions to determine bilateral relations

Amid the ongoing diplomatic tension between Bangladesh and India, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is set to visit Dhaka on Monday. During this visit, he will hold a secretary-level meeting.

Misri will hold his first meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Jasim Uddin. It is reported that various recent and bilateral issues will be discussed and decided in this meeting.

This is the first meeting at the diplomatic level between Delhi and Dhaka after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5 and after the interim government took the power. In the emerging situation, curiosity has arisen in both countries about what issues will be discussed in this meeting.

Bangladesh-India relations were particularly strong under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, especially in trade, security and combating climate change. However, experts believe that questions are being raised about the future of this relationship, especially after the recent political unrest and the formation of a new interim government.

In this regard, international relations analyst Professor Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed said, 'The visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary to Dhaka at this time is very important. It indicates many things. Several crises have arisen between the two countries in the changed political situation. These need to be resolved through diplomatically and well-thought-out discussions.'

'The discussions and decisions of the top leaders of the two countries at the meeting will be helpful in determining the future of Bangladesh-India relations.'

According to sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main topics of discussion in the meeting may be bilateral trade, border security, water sharing of the Teesta River, and the Rohingya issue.

In addition, sources said that Sheikh Hasina's stay in India may also come up for discussion. However, the main topics will be de-escalation of tensions in bilateral relations, security, disinformation control, and trade.

Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said that only 'common issues' between the two countries will be discussed.

According to international relations analysts, the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary may thaw the ice in the relations between the two countries.

When asked about the topics of the meeting, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian Foreign Secretary will discuss all issues of mutual interest in Dhaka.

However, neither side has yet announced or released a definitive agenda on what exactly will be discussed.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri will arrive in Dhaka on Monday and participate in the secretary-level meeting.

During the visit, he will also meet the Foreign Affairs Adviser. However, it is not yet known whether his meeting with the Chief Adviser has been finalized.