Bangladesh Considers Prime Minister's Visit to India Amid Strained Relations

Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir on Monday said Bangladesh has never ruled out the possibility of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India, and despite the strained relations between the two neighbours, talks are underway to finalise the visit under a "proper bilateral framework." Kabir told reporters during an event in Dhaka, "Bilateral dialogue is necessary to maintain relations with any other country." He said, "This visit will be bilateral." Humayun Kabir acknowledged the challenges in India-Bangladesh bilateral relations and said Dhaka believes these can be overcome through dialogue and stressed that Bangladesh has never ruled out the possibility of a prime minister's visit to India. He said, "Just a phone call does not solve anything. We are in talks and things are positive." When asked if Rahman could visit India this year, Kabir did not specify any time frame. He said that Dhaka wants this visit to take place within a "proper bilateral framework," and that Dhaka will have a "high-level visit."