Bangladesh seeks India's backing to revive SAARC

Dhaka: Bangladesh's interim government's Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain has sought India's backing to revive the SAARC at a meeting with External Affairs S. Jaishankar at the sidelines of a multi-lateral conference in Muscat.

"Hossain sought to initiate discussions for the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty signed in 1996 and emphasised the need for convening the SAARC Standing Committee meeting and requested New Delhi’s support on the matter," a Bangladesh foreign ministry statement said after the two leaders met during the 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday.

Bangladesh’s new interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has been insisting on the revival of the South Asian regional grouping SAARC which has been suspended for a long time due to the India-Pakistan conflict.

Jaishankar in a post on X after the meeting did not mention SAARC.

"Met Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain of the Interim Government of Bangladesh. The conversation was focused on our bilateral relationship, as also on BIMSTEC," Jaishankar posted on X.

Bangladesh will replace Thailand as chairman after the 6th BIMSTEC summit scheduled to take place in Bangkok from April 2 to 4 this year.

“Both sides recognised the challenges the two neighbours are facing in terms of bilateral relations and discussed the necessity to work together to address those,” the statement said.

This was the second meeting between the two foreign ministers since they met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September last year -- a month after Yunus assumed power following the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a violent student-led uprising.

The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain over attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh after Hasina's ouster.

There had been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, as well as attacks on temples in Bangladesh that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.

Bangladesh and India share an over 4,000 kilometre border which also saw sporadic unrest. Chiefs of two border forces are set to meet in New Delhi this week in their annual conference.

“Both sides also noted that meeting at the level of Directors General of Border Guarding Forces of the two countries are scheduled to be held in New Delhi from February 18-20, 2025,” the statement said.

The Bangladeshi foreign advisor and the Indian foreign minister expressed hope that various border-related issues would be discussed and resolved during the meeting, the statement said.