The Crime Desk: India is sending its foreign secretary to Dhaka for talks with the Bangladesh government. The country’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, is scheduled to visit Dhaka on December 10. This information was reported by the Indian media Hindustan Times in a report on Wednesday (December 4).
The report said that Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to visit Bangladesh next week for talks. This is the first visit by a senior Indian official to Dhaka since the interim government of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus came to power last August, people familiar with the matter said.
Hindustan Times says that neither country has yet made any official announcement about the visit. However, Vikram Misri is likely to visit Bangladesh on December 10 for the annual talks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. People familiar with the preparations for Vikram’s visit to the capitals of both countries, namely Dhaka and Delhi, said this on condition of anonymity.
The Indian media outlet says that the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is coming at a time when relations between Bangladesh and India are at an unprecedented high.
Protests are taking place in several Indian states bordering Bangladesh over the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is accused of alleged persecution of Hindu minorities and sedition.
In addition, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Indian Ambassador Prannoy Verma and lodged a strong protest over the attack and vandalism of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, and the desecration of the Bangladesh national flag.
The last dialogue between the two foreign secretaries of the two countries was held in New Delhi in November 2023. This time, the dialogue is expected to include issues such as resuming Indian-funded development projects, easing visa requirements, starting more direct flights, and trade and investment, people familiar with the matter said.
A second Indian official said Bangladesh is keen to go ahead with the visit because the potential visit by the Indian foreign secretary is seen as an opportunity to initiate steps towards normalizing bilateral relations between the two sides. If the visit goes smoothly, the possibility of a meeting between Misri and Dr. Yunus cannot be ruled out.
