Dhaka-Delhi ties time-tested: Mahmood Ali

India-Bangladesh relations have withstood ‘the test of time’, setting a ‘precedent’ for other regional countries ‘to emulate’, the foreign minister has said. ’The relationship is on the upswing,’ Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said on Friday, citing examples of engagements even after a regime change in Delhi. Opening the 1st-ever India-Bangladesh High Commissioners' summit at Dhaka University, AH Mahmood Ali said he believed that ‘despite ups and downs in the past, the relationship has reached a point from where it can only blossom’. ‘There is no end to further strengthening of our relations.’ Past and present high commissioners of India and Bangladesh have joined the meet to share experiences and offer insights into India-Bangladesh relations. The foreign minister hoped that the discussions would throw up ‘important ideas and thoughts’ for the foreign policy makers of both countries. DU Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique spoke, among others, at the inauguration, according to a news agency.