Dhaka:The scheduled consular dialogue between Bangladesh and India, originally planned for November 17-18, will not take place, signaling a stall in bilateral relations, officials have confirmed. This development comes amidst a lack of tangible progress on key areas of cooperation between the two nations.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh-India bilateral mechanisms encompass over forty areas, including water, trade, border management, and consular issues. A diplomatic source revealed that the fifth consular dialogue, which was supposed to be held in Dhaka, has been postponed. Saidur Rahman, Minister (Press) at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, stated that the decision to postpone the dialogue was made a week before any request concerning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's passport and national identity card was submitted.
The consular dialogue mechanism, established in 2017, aims to enhance people-to-people contacts by maintaining regular communication on consular, visa, and mutual legal assistance cooperation matters between Bangladesh and India. An inter-ministerial meeting was held in Dhaka on November 3 to prepare for the upcoming dialogue. The discussions were expected to cover cross-border issues, border management, visa processes, and repatriation efforts.
The previous round of consular dialogue was conducted on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, where both sides engaged in discussions to strengthen coordination on consular issues and agreed to further enhance the Revised Travel Arrangement to facilitate movement between the two countries. Despite these efforts, longstanding disputes, such as water-sharing and transboundary water management, remain unresolved.
India has expressed its intent to advance its relationship with Bangladesh positively and constructively. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated its readiness to discuss all bilateral issues through existing mechanisms, including the Joint Rivers Commission for discussions on cross-boundary rivers like the Ganga, which is a pressing issue given the approaching expiry of the Ganges treaty in December.
Source United News of Bangladesh