NEW DELHI, Sep 9: India and Bangladesh have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence ties, with the two sides discussing greater cooperation in military training, professional exchanges, disaster management and maritime security.
The issues were discussed during a meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Defence Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at the Defence Adviser’s office in Dhaka Cantonment on Wednesday.
The meeting began with an exchange of greetings before the two officials discussed ways to expand professional engagement between the armed forces of the neighbouring countries.
The discussions covered joint training programmes aimed at enhancing the professional capabilities of military personnel, along with exchanges of officers and sharing of training experiences.
The two sides also explored opportunities for closer coordination in disaster management and maritime security, both of which remain important areas of shared interest due to the countries’ geographical proximity.
Regional peace and stability, as well as common security challenges, also featured in the discussions. Both sides underlined the importance of continued engagement between their armed forces to contribute to stability in the region.
During the meeting, Trivedi appreciated the Bangladeshi government’s initiatives in the socio-economic sector and reiterated India’s interest in maintaining constructive engagement with Dhaka.
The meeting comes amid continued strains in India-Bangladesh relations, with several diplomatic issues remaining under discussion. These include the presence of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India and her public outreach. Dhaka’s expanding engagement with Pakistan has also emerged as a concern for New Delhi.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, the discussions focused on expanding cooperation between the armed forces through joint training, professional exchanges and the sharing of military experience.
The two officials also considered deeper cooperation in disaster management and maritime security, areas that have acquired greater significance given the two countries’ shared border and wider regional interests.
The latest engagement is part of Trivedi’s broader outreach to senior officials in Bangladesh.
Last week, he met Bangladesh’s Local Government Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan at the Secretariat in Dhaka. Their discussions covered local government, free trade and measures to preserve direct people to people links between the two countries.
Trivedi emphasised that maintaining close ties between the people of India and Bangladesh would remain a priority despite changes in diplomatic representation.
He noted that decisions taken by governments directly affect ordinary citizens and said the two countries have a greater responsibility to maintain engagement because of their shared border and geographical proximity.
The meeting also touched upon Bangladesh’s upcoming local government elections.
State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said Trivedi shared India’s experience in conducting local elections as Bangladesh prepares to hold its own local government polls during the current financial year.