Despite occasional tensions, Bangladesh and India continue to value goodwill and good neighbourliness, recognising that cooperation, not confrontation, best serves the interests of the two close neighbours bound by shared history, borders and cultural ties.
The recent visit by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to Bangladesh signals a renewed emphasis on advancing this spirit of good neighbourliness and partnership based on mutual respect.
“For any country in diplomacy, relations with neighbors get priority, especially for those who are not global powers - for example, Bangladesh. For them, relations with neighbors are very important,” said Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, highlighting the importance of relations with big and small neighbors.
The Adviser, who believes in the country’s permanent interest, said one of their key tasks is to maintain good relations with all small and big neighbors and try to get benefits out of that.
Bangladesh is connected with India through trade, connectivity, water sharing, security and people-to-people exchanges.
“When Bangladesh and India remain sensitive to each other’s concerns and avoid actions that undermine the other’s interests, it helps reduce misunderstandings and build confidence,” said a diplomat.
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Such an approach, the diplomat thinks, strengthens regional stability, supports economic growth, and enables both nations to address common challenges through dialogue.
Adviser Hossain said foreign policy is, to a large extent, influenced by domestic policy. “You can’t forget it.”
During an event at IIT Madras in Chennai, Jaishankar on Friday replied to a question on India’s neighborhood policy and Bangladesh issues, days after attending the funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka.
Good Neighbours
He highlighted the difference between “good neighbors” and “bad neighbors,” and said India supports and assists countries that maintain cooperative ties. He cited examples such as vaccine diplomacy, economic aid and crisis support.
At the same time, he asserted India’s right to defend itself against neighbors that persist with terrorism, stressing that New Delhi’s approach is guided by common sense and national interest.
“If you have a neighbor who is good to you, or at least who is not harmful to you, your natural instinct is to be kind and to help that neighbor. If the neighbor has a problem, you would like to contribute in some way. If nothing else, you will say hello, you will try to build friendships and bonding, and that is what we do as a country,” Jaishankar said.
He said whenever there is a spirit of good neighborliness, India chooses to invest, help and share. “With good neighbors, India invests, helps and shares, whether it was vaccines during COVID, fuel and food support during the Ukraine conflict, or the $4 billion assistance to Sri Lanka during its financial crisis.”
Wishing Bangladesh well for the upcoming national election, Jaishankar said the sense of neighborliness in the region will grow once things settle down.
"Right now, they (Bangladesh) are heading for elections. We wish them well in that election. We hope that once things settle down, the sense of neighborliness in this region will grow," he said.
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Highlighting the growth of India, Jaishankar said if India grows, all its neighbors will grow with them.
"We will have many more opportunities. I think that in a sense is the message that I also took to Bangladesh," said Jaishankar who visited Bangladesh recently.
Bad Neighbours
Jaishankar also spoke about India’s “bad neighbours” and said if a country decides to “deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism” India has the right to protect itself from such “neighbours”.
“We will exercise that right. How we exercise that right is up to us. Nobody can tell us what we should do or not. We will do whatever we have to do to defend ourselves. It is a common sense proposition,” he said.
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The Indian External Affairs Minister said if there is no good neighbourliness, “you do not get the benefits of that good neighbourliness. You cannot say, "Please share water with me, but I will continue terrorism with you.”
Economic Interests
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has recently said Bangladesh manages its ties with India by keeping economic interests distinct from political rhetoric, with trade-related decisions driven by competitiveness and national interest rather than diplomacy.
“Our trade policy is not driven by political considerations. If importing rice from India is cheaper than sourcing it from Vietnam or elsewhere, then it makes economic sense to buy from India,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase.
Salehuddin said Bangladesh would import essentials such as rice from India if prices remain competitive, regardless of the prevailing political discourse between the two neighbours, mentioning that imports from alternative markets could cost Tk 10 more per kilogram.
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Salehuddin stressed that Bangladesh has never pursued punitive trade measures against India for political reasons. “We do not believe in using trade as a tool for political retaliation. Our priority is to ensure supplies at the best possible price for our people,” he added.
Deep Relations
“Relations between Bangladesh and India are so deep ... .it will remain good in the future. There is no alternative to maintaining good relations between the two countries,” said Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus recently.
Referring to huge "interdependencies" on each other, he said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is historically, politically and economically very close and they cannot deviate from this.
Bangladesh will hold a high-stakes national election on February 12 the first polls since mass uprising last year, excluding the Bangladesh Awami League, activities of which remain suspended.
The Chief Adviser said Bangladesh is fully prepared to hold 'free, fair, and peaceful' elections on February 12 next year.
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Highlighting the importance of stability and inclusive elections in Bangladesh, India said it wants close and friendly relations with the people of Bangladesh, which is rooted in the liberation struggle and strengthened through various development and people-to-people initiatives.
“We are in favour of peace and stability in Bangladesh and have consistently called for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections conducted in a peaceful atmosphere,” Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).