Bangladesh-India secretary-level talks on Dec 9 or 10: Touhid

 
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hosain on Wednesday said the scheduled Foreign Secretary-level Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and India will take place in Dhaka on December 9 or 10.

"It is very clear that we want a good relationship (with India)," he told reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday afternoon, BSS reports.

However, the foreign adviser emphasized that relations between Bangladesh and India must be built on a reciprocal basis. "Both sides need to want that and should work for it," he added.

Touhid mentioned that while the FOC is scheduled for December 10, it might be held a day earlier, on December 9.

During the high-level consultation, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will lead their respective delegations. The discussions are expected to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, currently in India, and visa-related matters.

Ousted Sheikh Hasina, who fled Dhaka on August 5 and has been residing in India since then, is facing trial in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal for alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising.

At the Foreign Ministry's weekly briefing on November 21, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing Toufique Hasan confirmed that an inter-ministerial meeting had already been held to coordinate preparations for the upcoming talks.