Politics not on agenda during Bangladesh-India foreign secy level meeting: Momen
There will be no political discussion in the FOC. There will be a constructive discussion on the unresolved issues. The political discussion has already taken place,” he told reporters on Monday
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said the upcoming meeting between the foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and India at the end of this week in New Delhi will not focus on political issues.
"The Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and India will not involve political discussions. Political matters have already been addressed in previous discussions. Instead, we will engage in a constructive dialogue on unresolved issues between our two nations," he told reporters in response to a question at his office in the capital on Monday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a trip to India during the G-20 summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September. On 8 September, Sheikh Hasina engaged in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence. In addition to the official bilateral meeting, PM Hasina and Modi also held a private meeting.
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At that time, the foreign minister said, "India, being a large democratic nation, values peace and stability in its neighbouring country [Bangladesh]. India advocates for the preservation of the democratic system [in Bangladesh], ensuring that power transitions do not disrupt it. India's stance is that the recurrence of an undemocratic government [in Bangladesh] is unacceptable."
On 24 November, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will engage in a joint consultative meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra in New Delhi. It is anticipated that the meeting will address unresolved issues such as water distribution, particularly the Teesta River dispute, defence cooperation, energy exchange, trade facilitation, electricity grid interconnection, and border management.
In a recent meeting between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the United States in New Delhi, the matter of Bangladesh's upcoming elections was brought up for discussion.
During this meeting, New Delhi conveyed to Washington that the manner in which the elections are conducted is an internal affair of Bangladesh. However, Washington has yet to make any public statement regarding New Delhi's stance on Bangladesh's polls.
After eight months, Bangladesh and India will reconvene for the next Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) in New Delhi, marking the second such meeting this year. The first FOC was held in Dhaka in February 2023.
Meanwhile, in response to a question from journalists, Momen said that many Japanese companies want to invest in Bangladesh. In particular, they will invest in tourism and other sectors with $5 billion in the blue economy
