Hasina's extradition issue raised but nothing finalised: Foreign adviser

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain today (8 April) said Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus raised the extradition issue of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina with India, but stressed that nothing was finalised.

Briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adviser Hossain said further improvement of the relations depends on both sides. "We need to make progress in our relations together."

The adviser refrained from going into additional details on the issue at this moment.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, after the bilateral meeting between Chief Adviser Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, told reporters in Bangkok that Modi urged that rhetoric which vitiates the environment is best avoided.

Responding to a question regarding the matter, Adviser Hossain said they both agreed on this as the same things are happening from the Indian side too.

Asked about the Teesta River Management Project with China, he said Bangladesh remains open to both India and China, and Bangladesh will look into where Bangladesh's interest is protected.

Indian Prime Minister Modi on Friday reiterated India's support for a "democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive" Bangladesh during his first-ever bilateral meeting with Yunus on the sidelines of the 6th Bimstec Summit.

Responding to a question, Adviser Hossain said the government is committed to handover the responsibility to an elected political leadership after holding the election.

He also said Bangladesh's friends always discuss the election issues.

Modi expressed his conviction that all issues of mutual interest between the two countries would continue to be addressed and resolved bilaterally through constructive discussions, in the interest of their longstanding and mutually beneficial bilateral relationship.

The Indian prime minister underlined that India believes in a people-centric approach in a relationship and highlighted the cooperation between the two countries for a long period of time that delivered tangible benefits to people on both sides.

He underlined India's desire to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on pragmatism.

Responding to a question on Rohingya repatriation, Hossain said Myanmar agreed that 180,000 are fit to return, but it does not mean that the Rohingya people will return immediately given the situation on the ground in Rakhine state.

The foreign adviser said by and large, both visits - China and BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand - fulfilled Bangladesh's expectations.