Dhaka, Feb 17 (NationPress) Touhid Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Advisor to the interim government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus, stressed the necessity of initiating discussions for the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty during his meeting with India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar in Muscat on Sunday, as reported by Bangladeshi media on Monday.

According to diplomatic sources, the encounter between the Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor and the Indian Foreign Minister in Muscat was brief, lasting under thirty minutes. The two officials underscored the significance of addressing the challenges currently impacting bilateral relations. They also broached the subject of facilitating a meeting between Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, slated for April, as reported by Prothom Alo.

The local media in Dhaka, citing the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry's statement, noted that during their discussion on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Oman's Muscat, Hossain emphasized the importance of convening the SAARC Standing Committee and urged the Indian government to take this into account.

Both nations acknowledged the difficulties in their bilateral relationship and discussed the need for collaborative efforts to tackle these issues, as detailed in the reports.

With a three-day Director General-level conference involving the border guards of both countries commencing in New Delhi on Monday, both Hossain and Jaishankar expressed optimism that border-related matters would be addressed through dialogue during this meeting.

EAM Jaishankar shared on X post-meeting, stating, "Met Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain of the Interim Government of Bangladesh. Our conversation focused on our bilateral relationship, as well as on BIMSTEC."

This marked the second high-level interaction between India and Bangladesh's interim government following the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, with their last meeting occurring at the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Despite India's ongoing advocacy for the normalization of relations with its neighbor, the current administration in Dhaka has faced significant backlash for unfounded accusations and for targeting minorities, particularly the Hindu community, since the student-led uprising and the subsequent fall of Hasina's Awami League government last year.

In December, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka to convey New Delhi's concerns regarding the safety and welfare of minorities in Bangladesh to the interim leadership.

The 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit is set to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from April 2-4 this year.

Bangladesh, which is set to assume the chair of BIMSTEC at the summit, is optimistic about facilitating a meeting between Yunus and PM Modi during the Bangkok event.