Jaiswal: India seeks stronger, constructive ties with Bangladesh

Image- Collected

India wants to develop positive, constructive and forward-looking relations with Bangladesh based on mutual interests, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.

Jaiswal made the remarks while responding to journalists' questions during a ministry briefing in New Delhi.

He did not provide any definite information when asked about the possibility of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visiting India.

Regarding Bangladesh's conditions over the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Osman Hadi and other fugitives, Jaiswal said there was nothing new to add. He reiterated that India's position on extradition remained unchanged and that Bangladesh's request was being examined under India's existing framework.

The briefing also covered Bangladesh's request for additional fuel supplies from India. Jaiswal repeated India's earlier position, saying the country was assessing whether additional fuel could be supplied based on its reserves, refinery capacity and domestic requirements.

Asked about the resumption of stalled Indian development projects in Bangladesh and whether Dhaka had requested India to restart the work, Jaiswal did not directly respond. Instead, he reiterated India's interest in building a positive, constructive and future-oriented relationship with Bangladesh based on mutual interests.

A journalist also raised a recent report by the United Nations Security Council's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which expressed concerns over al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent attempting to establish a base in Bangladesh.

Jaiswal said terrorism and security were concerns for everyone and that India wanted to address the threat collectively. He also noted that the report specifically referred to forces that carried out an attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi.

The Teesta water-sharing issue and China's interest in the project also came up during the briefing. Asked whether Bangladesh had separately expressed interest in Teesta discussions or whether India had raised concerns about China's involvement in the project, Jaiswal stressed the importance of bilateral management of shared rivers between India and Bangladesh, without elaborating further.