MUMBAI (Reuters) – India and Bangladesh said on Monday they would pursue constructive relations after months of tensions that have boiled over into protests and confrontations since the ousting of Dhaka’s last leader.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Dhaka in the highest-level mission between the neighbours and trade partners since August, when Bangladesh’s then prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled to India amid mass protests.
After Hasina’s exit, India complained about what it said were targeted attacks on minority Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who met Misri on Monday, has said the reports were exaggerated.
On Monday, Yunus “asked India to help clear the ‘clouds’ that have cast a shadow over the relationship between the two neighbours in recent times,” according to a statement from his office.
“India desires a positive, constructive, and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh,” Misri was quoted as saying in a transcript published by the Indian foreign ministry after the meeting.
Misri said he discussed “some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties”, adding that India expected a constructive approach on these issues from Bangladesh.
He also met his Bangladeshi counterpart, Mohammad Jashim Uddin.
Bangladesh has denied reports of attacks, asked India to stop sheltering Hasina and demanded her extradition.
(Reporting by Dhaka bureau, writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Andrew Heavens)
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