Prime Minister to receive memorable welcome in India: Dinesh Trivedi

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said that when Bangladesh’s Prime Minister visits India, he will be accorded the highest honour and given a memorable reception befitting him, as he deserves.

India is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the prime minister, he said, adding that the benefits of the visit would ultimately reach the people of both countries.

Trivedi made the remarks at a reception held at The Westin Hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Tuesday. The Indian High Commission organised the event in honour of a high-level business delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which is currently visiting Bangladesh.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee, and leading businesspersons from various sectors of Bangladesh and India attended the event.

Speaking at the reception, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said, “I met the honourable prime minister of Bangladesh. And, I must tell you, he is a people’s person. I congratulate him on his victory with a landslide majority.”

“Our prime minister was the first one to congratulate him and the first one to send him an invite to come to India. And, then our honourable Speaker had come here; and then our external affairs minister had come to Bangladesh. And now I am here. I say this for one reason—we are eagerly waiting to extend a warm welcome to you,” he added.

It may be recalled that on 10 August, the Indian High Commissioner met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the first time in a courtesy meeting.

During the meeting, Trivedi told Prime Minister Tarique Rahman that the Indian government was keen to welcome him and his family to Delhi. The following day, the Indian envoy travelled to Delhi and conveyed Bangladesh’s message to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Although diplomatic discussions are under way between the two countries regarding Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India, no confirmation has yet been received.

Sources said that several conditions put forward by Bangladesh—including the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in the July mass uprising, and the handover of suspects accused in the murder of martyr Sharif Osman Hadi—have yet to be resolved. Bangladesh has also not agreed to the prime minister’s visit to India.

Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said, “After meeting the prime minister here, I went directly to Delhi and met our prime minister. He just told me one thing: ‘We (the two prime ministers) need to meet. You (Dinesh Trivedi), can tell them on my behalf, that when the prime minister of Bangladesh visits India, he will be accorded the highest honour and given a memorable welcome befitting him, as he deserves. The benefits of this visit will ultimately reach the people of both countries.’”

Referring to some minor misunderstandings or obstacles that have emerged between Bangladesh and India, Trivedi said, “Everyone knows that I have direct access to the prime minister of India; I can call him whenever I wish. Why did he send me? There is only one reason—our immense respect, affection and mutual dependence towards our neighbour. Our policy is ‘Neighbourhood First’.”

He said, “There may have been some minor misunderstandings or obstacles, but such things happen even within families. That does not mean relationships are severed. We must build further on our shared history and culture.”

Describing “mutual and unconditional trust” as the fundamental basis of any long-lasting relationship, Trivedi said, “Friends, they really understand each other’s issues... So, I can tell you, assure you that the issues that exist can certainly be sorted. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the people’s leader, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also a people’s leader, this relationship will grow stronger. I have not the slightest doubt about it.”

He also said that businesspeople had a major role to play in bridging the distance between the two countries.

Trivedi further said, “I always say that we do not merely share a border; we share the same dreams, the same aspirations and the same commitment to equality. It is not a question of one being smaller and the other bigger—we are all equal. Taking our past with us, we must sort out old problems and move forward together. We cannot remain stagnant.”

At the event, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said, “India is one of Bangladesh’s principal trading partners in the region, and our bilateral trade has grown significantly over the years. Yet we must acknowledge that this trade structure remains somewhat imbalanced and is well below its true potential.”

“South Asian inter-regional trade statistics show that we trade more with partners outside our own region than within it. Therefore, our objective should be to expand the overall economic partnership, remove existing challenges and create greater opportunities for trade, business and investment on both sides,” she added.

Shama Obaed said, “The business visa process for Bangladeshi businesspeople in India should be made extremely fast, or even immediate. This would enable Bangladeshi businesspeople to travel to India more frequently. Our medical tourism sector is already quite strong, but we want our private sector to maintain more regular and spontaneous engagement with businesspeople from your country.”

CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said, “The warm welcome we have received from the Government of Bangladesh and the sincerity we have experienced from Bangladesh’s industrial sector have been simply exceptional and outstanding. As our High Commissioner said, we will work to uphold the spirit of this warmth by creating more business opportunities.”

Those present at the event included International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman, Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) President Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury, FBCCI Administrator Fazlul Hoque, Metropolitan Chamber President Kamran T Rahman, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem, PRAN-RFL Group Chairman Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Transcom Group Chief Executive Officer Simeen Rahman, AmCham President Syed Mohammad Kamal, FICCI President Rupali Chowdhury, HSBC Bangladesh Chief Executive Officer Mahbub ur Rahman, among others.