Indian envoy summoned by Bangladesh foreign ministry, says two countries share multi-faceted ties

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma on Tuesday met with the country’s interim government acting Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah.

Verma was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a day after protestors attacked the premises of the Bangladesh acting High Commission in Agartala, reported Bangladesh newspaper Daily Star.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting, Verma said that India and Bangladesh have a wide ranging and multifaceted relationship that cannot be reduced to one issue. He also said India wants to build a constant, stable, and constructive relationship with Bangladesh.

“We have a wide ranging and multifaceted relationship. You cannot reduce it to one issue,” he said. “We want to build on the dependencies [between the countries] to mutual benefit,” Verma was quoted as saying by Daily Star.

The Indian envoy said there have been many positive developments in the two countries over the years including in the areas of power supply, essential commodities. “We are interested to engage based on the aspirations of people,” Verma said.

On December 2, India decided to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and its other diplomatic premises in the country following an incident earlier in the day involving the breach of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission premises in Agartala.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The breach of premises at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala is deeply regrettable. Diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances.”

The MEA added, “Government is taking action to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and their Deputy/Assistant High Commissions in the country”.

The situation in Bangladesh has been marked by increasing violence against minority communities after the arrest of a spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das over sedition charges and for allegedly hoisting a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag in Chittagong on October 25.