Bangladesh occupies special place in India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy: Murmu

Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Monday stressed on further strengthen India-Bangladesh cooperation in the coming days, saying that Bangladesh occupies a special place in India's 'neighbourhood first' policy, reports BSS.

"The India-Bangladesh relations are bounded by language, culture and history and the unique ties is forged in shared sacrifices," she said when the newly appointed Bangladesh high commissioner to India Mustafizur Rahman presented his credentials to the Indian President in New Delhi. 

Welcoming the envoy, the Indian President mentioned that Bangladesh is the largest trade partner of India in South Asia and also the visa operations of India in Dhaka. 

She recalled the joint celebrations of Mujib Year, the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's War of Liberation and the 50th years of establishment of Bangladesh-India diplomatic ties. 

She while mentioning the immense political will to take forward the India-Bangladesh relations, recalled her recent meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in September last in New Delhi and later in London. 

The Bangladesh envoy thanked for the opportunity to present the credentials and conveyed greetings from President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

He mentioned India's moral and material support during the 1971 War of Liberation under the leadership of Bangladesh's Founding Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "The Indo-Bangladesh cooperation, in fact, begun in the battlefield of 1971," he mentioned. 

The high commissioner said that the India-Bangladesh ties have reached a newer height and it is described as a model of "neighbourhood relations". 

He assured the Indian President that he would endeavour to further expand and consolidate the relations. 

In this connection, the envoy underscored Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's persistent efforts to further promote regional and sub-regional cooperation on a win-win basis. 

He thanked the government of India for inviting Bangladesh to G-20 Summit to be held in September 2023. 

Mustafizur Rahman takes up his India assignment after serving as ambassador and permanent representatives to Bangladesh to the UN offices, WTO and other international organizations in Geneva from 2020-'22. 

He was also Bangladesh ambassador to Switzerland.