Photo: Collected
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Monday (12 August), said bilateral relations is a big thing and emphasised that the relations with India will remain unhurt if former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stay there prolongs.
“This is a hypothetical question. If someone stays in a country why the relations with that particular country will be affected. There is no reason for that,” he said, adding that bilateral relations is a big matter.
The adviser made the remarks when a journalist wanted to know whether bilateral relations with India will be affected if Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India gets prolonged.
Hossain said bilateral relations is a relations of interest and friendship is also for interest. “Friendship does not exist if the interest is hurt.”
He said the two sides Bangladesh and India have interests and they will follow those interests.
Hossain said they will always try to maintain good relations with India.
Earlier, he briefed the diplomats stationed in Dhaka at the same venue where Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma, among others, was present.
Hossain also said they are not abandoning any commitment with any country as those commitments were made by Bangladesh.
India said they do not have an update on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s plans and it would not be appropriate at this point in time to comment on her plans.
“As far as former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is concerned, I told you that we don't have an update on her plans. It is for her to take things forward,” official spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has clearly stated in his suo motu statement in Parliament that the approval for former Prime Minister Hasina to come to India was given at a short notice.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy trashed media reports attributing a message to party workers or resignation statement from his mother, that appeared in the Indian media.
"The recent resignation statement attributed to my mother published in a newspaper is completely false and fabricated," Joy said in a short message through X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I have just confirmed with her that she did not make any statement either before or since leaving Dhaka," he added.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain on Sunday said Sheikh Hasina resigned, and her resignation letter is with the President.
"This information has been confirmed. Rest I cannot tell you. Cabinet Division is the final custodian of such resignation. You may know from there tomorrow," he told reporters, referring to what he was informed at the Advisory Council meeting.
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