Bangladesh Urged Not to Normalize Terrorism: MEA
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, during his meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain in Muscat earlier this week, emphasized the importance of Bangladesh not normalizing terrorism, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) disclosed on Friday.
Jaishankar held multiple meetings with his counterparts from neighboring countries, including Bangladesh, on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on February 16. While the discussion with Hossain primarily focused on the bilateral relationship and BIMSTEC, the Bangladeshi side raised the need to convene the SAARC Standing Committee meeting and urged India to consider the matter.
“Regarding whether SAARC came up for discussion or not… Yes, the matter was brought up by the Bangladesh side when the EAM met with Bangladesh’s Foreign Advisor in Muscat. It was acknowledged that everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymying SAARC. EM conveyed that it is important for Bangladesh not to normalize terrorism,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters during a media briefing in New Delhi.
This meeting marked the second high-level engagement between India and Bangladesh’s interim government, following Jaishankar and Hossain’s discussion at the UN General Assembly in New York last September. It was also the first official interaction after the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Following the latest meeting, Bangladeshi media reported that both sides discussed overcoming recent challenges in bilateral relations. They also deliberated on the possibility of organizing a meeting between Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, scheduled for April 2-4, 2025.
Bangladesh is set to assume the role of the next BIMSTEC chair at the summit.
Despite India advocating for improved relations between the two neighbors, Bangladesh’s interim government has faced strong criticism for making unfounded accusations and targeting minorities, particularly the Hindu community, since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government last year.
In December, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka to convey New Delhi’s concerns, particularly regarding the safety and well-being of minorities in Bangladesh, to the interim government’s top leadership.
