Dhaka: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, where he handed over an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official visit to India.
Birla also conveyed PM Modi's wishes to Rahman, who took over as the Prime Minister around two years after Sheikh Hasina's resignation following mass protests. Hasina is self-exiled in India.
The Indian prime minister was one of the first to reach out to the BNP leader following his election win, in a sign of a thaw amid strained ties between the two neighbors in the interim government's time in Bangladesh. Modi has now invited Rahman to visit India at his “earliest convenience”.
India and Bangladesh share close ties rooted in history, culture and extensive people-to-people contacts. To a question on how he sees the India-Bangladesh ties, Tarique said, “The interests of Bangladesh and its people will determine our foreign policy.”
Rahman and his cabinet were sworn in this week following the February 12 election win. The BNP led by Rahman won two-thirds majority, returning to power in the country. Rahman had returned to Dhaka ahead of the elections after 17 years in exile in London.
Vikram Misri meets Jamaat Chief
Additionally, on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of Rahman, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a courtesy meeting with Bangladesh’s Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman.
The interaction was being described as a courtesy call, underscoring India’s engagement with key political stakeholders in Bangladesh.
|
|
