Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma on Tuesday said there is a great degree of commitment from the leaders of the two countries - Bangladesh and India - to take the relations to newer heights.

"India attaches top priority to its relations with Bangladesh. For us it is neighbourhood first; but in the neighbourhood too, it is Bangladesh first," he said.

The High Commissioner said the bilateral relationship today is truly multifaceted and complementing each other’s national development.

"Our cooperation covers not only traditional areas like trade, commerce, development partnership, security and border management but also newer areas such as clean energy, IT, space and so on," he said.

The Indian High Commissioner was speaking at a reception cum cultural evening marking the "Maitri Diwas 2022" held at Kurmitola Golf Club.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq spoke as the chief guest.

The High Commissioner said the Liberation of Bangladesh changed the political map of South-Asia. "But it also changed our ideological map: your freedom proved beyond doubt that the common bonds of culture, civilization, and language are what fundamentally connect people closer to each other than anything else."

He also said, "Your Liberation struggle also brought out the inevitability of the victory of truth and justice over brutality and oppression."

The High Commissioner said the friendship between the two countries is rooted in the shared sacrifices of the Liberation War and guided by the values, ideals and the visions espoused by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"With our soldiers having shed blood together with the Muktijoddhas, the bonds we share are eternal and will always stand the test of time," he said.

India had stood by the people of Bangladesh in 1971 and will stand ready to walk together with them in future as well, on the road to greater prosperity and success, said the Indian envoy.

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"We have made important achievements in our partnership, especially in the last decade. We remain committed to do more to build on the foundation of our friendship and our shared history," Verma said.

"As we do so, we must also ensure that our future generations imbibe our shared history and preserve the legacy of 1971 to make our partnership irreversible," he added.

Doing so would be a truly fitting tribute to the millions of martyrs who gave all that they had for the future of this country, he said.

"It will also be in keeping with the spirit of our eternal and time-tested friendship that we are celebrating today," said the High Commissioner.

The High Commission of India celebrated the 51st anniversary of Maitri Diwas. It was on this day in 1971 that India recognized an independent and sovereign Bangladesh, ten days before Bangladesh’s liberation.

The decision to mark December 6 as Maitri Diwas was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the State cisit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in March 2021.

Many Muktijoddhas as well as senior representatives from the government of Bangladesh, leaders of business and industry, media, academia and civil society also joined the celebrations.

Addressing the gathering, High Commissioner Pranay Verma highlighted the significance of the day as an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past 51 years of India- Bangladesh partnership and the promise for the future.

"We are working together to fulfill our shared vision of peace and prosperity for our people by building mutually beneficial cross-border connectivity that would further strengthen our economic, cultural and people-to-people connection," he said, adding that the opportunities are endless.

Even in the international arena, the envoy said they are working closely together.

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"As India has assumed the presidency of G-20 this month, we are delighted that at our invitation, Bangladesh has joined these deliberations as a Guest Country, to make valuable contributions with its own experience – to advance the global efforts for collective well-being during these challenging times," he said.