State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said the government is open to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visiting all countries, including India.
She made the remarks in response to questions from reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday afternoon.
“Bangladesh has a presidential election and another parliamentary session. We have many internal programs and work is underway on those issues. There are also several constitutional matters ahead, so the government is busy on that front. The prime minister is also busy. If everything falls into place, there will definitely be visits to India, Japan and other countries,” she said.
“The government is positive about visiting all countries. However, it will depend on the prime minister’s schedule and the progress of discussions between the countries,” she added.
Asked whether Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would attend the upcoming BRICS summit, Shama Obaid said: “BRICS is still a month away. A lot can happen in a month.”
‘Opportunity to resolve many issues’
Speaking about Bangladesh-India relations, Shama Obaed said there is always an opportunity to resolve several issues when the heads of the two countries meet.
“Whenever the heads of two countries speak, there is an opportunity to resolve many problems. That opportunity exists and India should also make good use of it,” she said.
“We have already said that when a convicted person sits on Indian soil and makes political statements, the people of Bangladesh will not take it well,” she added.
“July is still fresh in people’s minds. The blood stains have not dried yet. So we must be sensitive to that. But whenever the heads of the two countries meet, when the prime ministers of the two countries sit together, many problems can certainly be resolved. That is what we hope, and we hope India remembers that,” she said.
The state minister said no foreign visit by the prime minister had been finalized yet.
“No visit has been finalized yet. The prime minister is currently busy with various tasks, and none of the other visits, including a visit to India, have been finalized. These will be finalized after discussions between the two countries,” she said.
