Bangladesh-India Consular Dialogue to Be Held on a Mutually Convenient Date: Jaiswal
The next Bangladesh-India consular dialogue will be held on a date set according to the mutual convenience of the two countries, India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said. He made the remarks on Friday (13 November) in response to a question on the Bangladesh-India consular dialogue.
Randhir Jaiswal said, “India wants a positive, constructive and future-oriented relationship with Bangladesh. Accordingly, various initiatives have been taken and meetings held under the institutional framework in different fields, including trade, railways, water resources and border management.”
The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said India wants to maintain a positive, constructive and future-oriented relationship with Bangladesh. Discussions and meetings on various issues continue under the two countries' existing bilateral framework, including trade, rail connectivity, water resources and border management.
He said issues relating to the revised travel arrangement will also come up for discussion at the next consular dialogue. In his words, “The consular dialogue will be held on a mutually convenient date.”
The spokesperson further said that under the existing institutional arrangements, India is ready to discuss all kinds of matters and bilateral issues with Bangladesh, even at the technical level.
Notably, the fifth round of the consular dialogue between the two countries was scheduled to be held in Dhaka on 17 and 18 November, but it was postponed at the last moment.
According to diplomatic sources, fresh tension has arisen between the two countries following an application seeking the passport and national identity card (NID) of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Its effect has also fallen on this dialogue, for which preparations had been under way for a long time.
