Commercial engagement with BD a key priority for India

India is ready to work towards constructive, pragmatic and forward- looking relationship with Bangladesh based on "mutual respect and benefits", India's foreign secretary reaffirms their position after regime changes.
"We are ready to work with Bangladesh new government elected by its people in February last. We want the relationship to be constructive, pragmatic, positive and based on mutual respect and benefits," Vikram Misri told a visiting Bangladesh media team on Monday.
Explaining its engagement with governments, he says India worked with the then government led by the ousted former prime minister and with the post-uprising interim-government and now it is engaged with the elected political government.

"Government works with government," says the key official at the South Block in an indicative cryptic remark.
Addressing the meeting with the media delegation at the Ministry of External Affairs in the Indian capital, Mr Misri said India wanted to be engaged with Bangladesh on the pressing issues like Teesta water sharing, LoC (line of credits), trade restrictions and visa processing. Emphasizing India's willingness to engage with Bangladesh, he mentions the overtures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi being among the first to congratulate the new leadership and extended his best wishes to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
"We are in favour of strengthening relations. ...We will do whatever is necessary from our side to take bilateral ties forward," he adds.
Mr Misri responded to a flurry of questions raised from the Bangladesh media delegation, recalibration of relations between the two next-door neighbours after regime changes in Bangladesh following the July-August 2024 uprising.
The queries include Teesta Treaty, projects under Indian line of credits or LoC, potential border tensions with new political developments in West Bengal, the extradition of individuals accused in the Hadi killing case and possible return of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina with no direct replies for the last two.
To a question over 'election engineering' in Bangladesh, he said the perception of election engineering by India in Bangladesh "is not correct". Regarding the projects under LoC that are largely focused on Indian connectivity, he says Bangladesh holds the largest portfolio in concessional loans.
He says their priorities are to work on priority of host country. "And if new government pushes for new priorities, we are ready to sit and discuss."
A discussion between the High Commission and Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division (ERD) on LoC issues is expected to take place within the next couple of weeks.
He emphasises that commercial engagement remains a key priority for India in its relationship with Bangladesh.
Responding to another question on reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), he says the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) currently holds greater potential.
However, the Indian foreign secretary hints that SAARC could be restructured more positively.
Terming interim period 'testing time', he says some discussions did not progress then.
Talking over trade-related restrictions, he says, "We stand ready to take forward, get commercially engaged as the livelihoods of both borders' people are affected."
Regarding the future of the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing agreement, he says a joint river commission is working to fix its scheduled meetings and they will discuss.
Speaking over the possible border tensions following political developments in West Bengal following the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Mamata Banerjee's party, he dismisses the concerns and says: "Foreign policy is made in the capital. Changes in a particular state do not alter national foreign policy."
He also clarifies that recent Indian media reports over the possible release of snakes and crocodiles along the India-Bangladesh border to curb smuggling and illegal crossings do not reflect government position.
He also indicates that visa restrictions for Bangladeshi citizens travelling to India would be discussed soon.
To another query, Mr Misri says: "In cases involving foreign nationals, nationality verification is required, and that process has not yet been completed."
He adds; "So far, around 3,000 such cases over the past five years are still pending verification,"
Regarding energy, Mr Misri says India continued supplying diesel, oil to Bangladesh during the testing time of interim government and will continue it despite India itself facing difficulties.
Munni_fe@yahoo.com