POBNEWS24 Dhaka, Sept. 3, 2026-India is keen to strengthen people-to-people ties with Bangladesh, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said Wednesday, as the two sides discussed parliamentary exchanges, bilateral relations and broader cooperation.
Trivedi made the remarks during a meeting with Bangladesh National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed at the Speaker’s office in Dhaka.
The Speaker said people-to-people relations should form the foundation of ties between the two countries, stressing the importance of mutual respect for each other’s independence and sovereignty.
“The relationship between the people of the two countries should be the main foundation of India-Bangladesh relations,” Ahmed said.
He said Bangladesh-India relations had evolved through periods of both cooperation and tension, while the historical and political context of the relationship had also changed over time.
Referring to Bangladesh’s political developments, Ahmed alleged that the former Awami League government had undermined democratic rights through what he described as manipulated elections held in 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2024.
He said the 2024 mass uprising led by students and the public had opened the way for the country’s return to a democratic path.
Ahmed also said that during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, relations between Bangladesh and India had largely been government-centric.
Trivedi said India’s current government wanted to move toward a more people-centric relationship with Bangladesh.
“The current government of India is interested in building a people-centric relationship between the two countries. The Indian government is working to fulfill the expectations of the people of the two countries through mutual relations,” he said.
Parliamentary exchanges
Trivedi invited the Speaker to visit India and emphasized the importance of increasing exchanges between parliamentary delegations of the two countries.
The two sides discussed the expansion of bilateral relations, parliamentary exchanges, the Rohingya crisis and rehabilitation efforts, as well as cooperation in sports and culture.
Officials from the Indian High Commission, the National Parliament Secretariat and other relevant agencies attended the meeting.
Deputy Speaker meeting
Later in the day, Trivedi met Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal, with discussions focusing on bilateral relations, parliamentary diplomacy, information technology, modernization of parliamentary operations and institutional cooperation.
Trivedi said Bangladesh and India were connected by a shared history, culture, traditions and mutual interests, and called for greater parliamentary engagement to strengthen bilateral ties.
“Increasing mutual communication between the parliamentarians of the two countries, regular exchange of views and mutual visits of the parliaments of the two countries will play an important role in strengthening bilateral relations,” he said.
Kamal described the Indian Parliament as a modern legislature and said Bangladesh had already taken initiatives to introduce an e-parliament system.
He expressed hope that India would extend cooperation to help Bangladesh successfully implement the system.
Barrister Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, Secretary of the National Parliament Secretariat, the Deputy High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh and other senior officials were present at the meeting.
