Diplomatic Correspondent: SAARC Journalist Forum organised seminar to mark the 40th Charter Day of SAARC at the National Press Club on Sunday.
Foreign adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain has said that the relation between Bangladesh and India has undergone a qualitative change since 5 August. The change must be acknowledged in order to move the relation forward, he added. Foreign adviser made this remark during the seminar.
“I have always said that to solve any problem, we must first admit that the problem exists. Similarly, we must also acknowledge that there has been a qualitative change in our relation before and after 5 August. We must accept this and work towards moving our relations forward. I had proposed starting the foreign secretary-level meetings,” Touhid Hossain said.
Mentioning that bilateral trade has been affected due to the current strained relations, the foreign adviser said, “Is this economic downturn that has been going on for two or three months affecting only Bangladesh? No, it is not just affecting Bangladesh. It is also impacting India, a much larger economy. The extent might not be as severe, but the effect is still there.”
In the current situation, West Bengal’s economy is significantly impacted, he remarked.
“We hope that the most important factor in overcoming this deadlock is communication and face-to-face meetings. Tomorrow, the Indian foreign secretary will be here. The foreign secretary-level meeting is a routine matter, nothing unusual. I hope they will have fruitful discussions.”
Referring to the decade-long stalemate in SAARC, Touhid Hossain said, “There should have been annual summits, but that did not happen. It has been 10 years since any summit took place. We all know why that is so.”
Reaffirming the expectations for the revival of SAARC, as expressed by the interim government chief adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Touhid Hossain said, “The summit isn’t happening. It has to resume again. It’s better not to think we will resolve everything at once. There are four steps in SAARC. To overcome the crisis, the first step is for our Foreign Secretaries’ Forum to hold a standing committee meeting. We will now try to invite everyone and see if this could be done.”
He said, “If we manage to have a meeting at the foreign secretary level, we can significantly reactivate SAARC.”
