New Delhi [India], April 8 : Former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, said that the visit of Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is "good and important" as both nations look to bolster bilateral ties after India-Bangladesh relations nosedived under Muhammad Yunus's interim government
Speaking with ANI, Sikri highlighted the positive efforts of India to welcome the new Tarique Rahman-led BNP government.
"It is both good and important that the new Foreign Minister of Bangladesh is visiting India. India welcomed the new BNP government led by PM Tarique Rahman with a great sense of relief. He won the election with a substantial majority, and this was seen as reassuring because the alternative would have been Jamaat-e-Islami coming to power," she told ANI.
Speaking about the 18-month Yunus interim government after Sheikh Hasina was ousted, Sikri noted the "negative trend" in India-Bangladesh relations as she said Jamaat-e-Islami was "widely perceived as the power behind the throne."
"During the 18 months when Professor Muhammad Yunus served as Chief Advisor in the interim regime, Jamaat-e-Islami was widely perceived as the power behind the throne. At that time, we witnessed a very negative trend in India-Bangladesh relations. Professor Yunus made strong statements and reversed many of the trade and connectivity decisions that had been implemented over the 15 years of PM Sheikh Hasina's tenure," she said.
Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and was accorded a warm welcome.
This is the first high-level visit from Bangladesh to India after the formation of the new government in Dhaka under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
"Warm welcome to FM Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh on his arrival in New Delhi today. India and Bangladesh share warm and historic ties anchored in strong people-to-people relations. The visit will further bolster India-Bangladesh partnership," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.