‘Hasina government’s primary goal has been Bangladesh’s economic development … relationship with India’s been vital’

PM Modi begins his visit to Bangladesh today. Abu Salah Md Yousuf, senior research fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, spoke with Rudroneel Ghosh about the status of bilateral ties:

How would you describe the current state of India-Bangladesh ties?

When PM Hasina came to power in 2009, she initiated a new policy of developing relations with neighbouring countries, particularly India. This has seen India and Bangladesh resolve almost all of the big issues in their bilateral relationship like the land boundary and maritime demarcation. Hasina government’s primary goal has been the economic development of Bangladesh, and it is in this context that the relationship with India has been vital. So the last 10 years have seen a perceptible rise in mutual trust between the two countries.

PM Modi is visiting Bangladesh to mark three historic events. But he’ll also visit some temples to coincide with the West Bengal elections. What’s the Bangladeshi perspective on this?

Modi coming to Bangladesh to commemorate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary, 50 years of independence of Bangladesh and 50 years of India-Bangladesh relations is a historic moment. His presence will signify India’s contribution towards Bangladesh’s liberation war and the historic bonds that tie the two countries. Modi travelling to some places outside Dhaka during his visit, from the Bangladeshi perspective, is again a reflection of close ties between the two countries and will enhance the image of Bangladesh regionally and internationally – Bangladesh is more than just Dhaka. In fact, I’ve seen some reports that Modi travelling to these places may enhance tourism in Bangladesh.

The political rhetoric in India on CAA and NRC has often taken an anti-Bangladeshi edge. Has this affected bilateral relations?

India-Bangladesh ties are essentially based on development and security issues. From that perspective some of these domestic political issues in India don’t really affect overall bilateral ties. In fact, we’ve reached a level of confidence in our relationship where we understand each other’s domestic political dimensions but have largely insulated these matters from the overall bilateral relationship.

Since Dhaka joined China’s BRI, there’s a perception that Chinese projects are gaining ground at the expense of Indian projects in Bangladesh.

My understanding is that the trust between India and Bangladesh is strong enough and both sides are aware of the strategic and geopolitical developments in this region. Again, Bangladesh’s main priorities are economic development, poverty reduction and enhancing regional connectivity and cooperation. From that viewpoint, Bangladesh will continue to pursue ties with all the countries with whom we’ve economic interests.

In that context, Bangladesh’s relations with China aren’t supplementary to Bangladesh’s relations with India. Rather, India is our most trusted friend today and bilateral relations are only deepening. Therefore, both countries are aware of the importance of their relations in each other’s development and progress, and at the same time are cognisant about their geopolitical realities. Bangladesh wants to economically develop with all, and from that perspective our relations with China are complementary with all nations in the region.

Will there ever be a situation where Bangladesh will try to play China against India for its own strategic gains?

This is a very traditional thinking of international relations because today countries are much more interlinked with each other. And accruing economic benefits is the main priority. In that context, when we consider the entire gamut of international relations, I don’t think any situation will manifest where we would need to cartel anyone or stop relations with anyone. Rather, economic ties are complementary. Bangladesh is geo-strategically located in a place where it can connect the countries of the region and aid in regional development and progress.

Do you think Bangladesh has received enough support from India on the Rohingya issue?

The Rohingya issue is a major national security issue for Bangladesh which also has a regional security dimension. In that context, Bangladesh is trying to get support from all the countries in the region, including India. Given that India is an important stakeholder in the region and its voice has considerable weight in the larger comity of nations, Bangladesh will definitely try to get more support from New Delhi on the Rohingya issue considering its regional implications.

There has been some movement in Pakistan-Bangladesh ties since last year. How will this impact overall South Asian relations?

In the regional context Bangladesh has always believed in strong regional cooperation. India is Bangladesh’s most important regional partner and therefore relations with India will always get priority. However, fostering regional cooperation and development is also important for us. But this will not affect relations with India and our policy makers know this well.

END OF ARTICLE