Senior advisor to Bangladesh’s interim authorities Muhammad Yunus has mentioned relations between Dhaka and Delhi needs to be “very shut” regardless of the current regime change within the nation, saying it’s within the curiosity of each international locations.
Yunus, the 84-year-old economist, grew to become a senior adviser on August 8 following the resignation of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the nation on August 5 amid mass protests led by college students.
“Relations between the 2 international locations should be very shut. There will be no different to this. They want this, we’d like this. That is important from any angle, whether or not it’s economics, safety or water,” he was quoted as saying. by Bengali every day Prothom Alo on Tuesday.
Requested for his feedback on current tensions in bilateral relations, Yunus mentioned the current incidents in Bangladesh may need “disheartened” India and that they had been “not proud of the adjustments.” He didn’t point out the incidents.
“It is going to be tough for us to maneuver ahead with out one another. It’s pure that we have now shut ties and good relations in all areas,” he mentioned.
India has urged Bangladesh’s interim authorities to make sure peaceable spiritual occasions for the Hindu neighborhood within the South Asian nation. In keeping with a UN report, greater than 600 folks, together with Hindus, had been killed throughout violent protests in Bangladesh following the overthrow of the Hasina-led authorities.
“Issues will change into clear to them once they see that the entire world accepts us, how can they not settle for us?” he added.
He mentioned that so far as South Asian diplomacy is worried, his interim authorities attaches nice significance to strengthening ties with India and “on the identical time, strengthening SAARC (South Asian Affiliation for Regional Cooperation”).
Yunus mentioned Delhi ought to forge good relations with Bangladesh not as a result of “we’re forcing them” however as a result of that is additionally “mandatory in their very own curiosity”.
“Simply as we’d like them in our curiosity, they want us of their curiosity. So we have now to neglect sure transitory issues… The principle factor is to take care of good relations. Now we have to make use of every thing inside our energy to maneuver in the direction of that objective “. “, mentioned.
His poor man’s banking experiment earned Bangladesh a status as the house of microcredit, however it was in a protracted dispute for obscure causes with the Awami League regime.
A number of years in the past, Yunus insisted that Bangladesh ought to seize the chance to “develop with two giants: India and China.”
When requested his present opinion on the remark, he mentioned: “A few years in the past, I mentioned it is a massive benefit for us.”
“The truth that we’re positioned between two main economies is a energy for us, not a weak spot. We will be taught from each international locations. We may have markets in each international locations. Each international locations will come to us,” mentioned Yunus, identified for his shut relations with the USA and the West.
Yunus mentioned Bangladesh should preserve relations with each international locations and “this is a chance for us.”
On the SAARC challenge, Yunus mentioned: “I really feel that is our future. The European Union can transfer ahead so carefully regardless of these historic divisions, that we do not have a historical past of battle. Why cannot we transfer ahead?” ?”
Yunus mentioned he prolonged this name to all of the regional leaders he met in the course of the current UN Common Meeting in New York and “whom I’ve met, all of them mentioned they need SAARC.”
“The heads of presidency of SAARC international locations met me (in New York). I had conferences with everybody besides India. Sri Lanka could not come as a result of that they had simply had their president. “I might have had a gathering with him too,” he mentioned.
He mentioned: “Even whether it is only for formal causes, the SAARC international locations took a photograph collectively, which signifies that we’re collectively.”
When requested about the principle impediment to reactivating the regional grouping, he responded: “That may be solved.”
“There’s a answer for this. It can’t be that we preserve SAARC and on the identical time proceed to create the issue. It is not that there must be a remaining answer to the issue. However we will roughly come to an answer in order that SAARC can perform,” he mentioned.
Yunus mentioned India can hold sure issues on maintain with Pakistan, however even then go forward and “this might be an essential coverage that I’ll observe.”
He mentioned Dhaka would intensify its efforts to attain ASEAN membership.
“There might be ASEAN on one aspect, SAARC on the opposite, with Bangladesh within the center. We will be with each blocs on the identical time. Then we may have a broader place,” he mentioned.
On the home entrance, Yunus mentioned reforms in all sectors had been his authorities’s fundamental objective. He added that the method of holding elections would go hand in hand with reforms, however didn’t say how lengthy his interim administration would rule the nation.
Requested for his feedback on the potential for Hasina’s extradition, Yunus mentioned: “We (the interim authorities) don’t have to insist on this. We’re sitting on judicial reform. “If the judicial system is reformed, every thing will depend upon who might be tried and the way they are going to be judged.”
“We do not make political selections now. We’re simply creating the scope. Then they may proceed as they see match. We’re simply facilitating,” Yunus mentioned.
On a piece’s demand to ban Hasina’s Awami League social gathering, he mentioned, “That is additionally not for us to resolve.”