Dinesh Trivedi stresses dialogue, trust to address Dhaka-Delhi issues

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi today (3 October) highlighted the need for continuous dialogue, mutual respect and trust between the two countries to address bilateral issues, saying every issue between the two neighbours has a solution.

"There's no point hiding the issues, and there's no point not talking about the issues," he said while speaking at a discussion titled "Power and Prudence: Managing Great-Power Competition without Conflict" as part of the ongoing Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka.

Trivedi, who faced a couple of questions, said the two countries need to discuss all outstanding issues, including water, trade, culture, sports, communication and transportation, through appropriate forums.

"In a democracy, the dialogue has to be there at the proper forum. And the dialogue has to be a continuous dialogue," he said, noting that the process of engagement between the two countries may be slow, but it has not stopped.

"I can guarantee you, there is no stoppage of process. The process is ongoing," Trivedi said. "Believe me, there has to be a solution, and there will be a solution," the Indian diplomat added.

The high commissioner said Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign country, understands its own security interests and has the right to make its own decisions.

"Bangladesh is an absolutely independent country and people have elected democratically. So whatever decision Bangladesh takes is the decision of Bangladesh government," he said, adding that "Nobody should tell Bangladesh what they should do."

Trivedi also said India's relationship with Bangladesh does not depend on Dhaka's relations with other countries.

"As far as we are concerned in India, the relationship doesn't depend on what relation Bangladesh has with other countries," he said. He stressed that both countries have the right to protect their respective national interests.

"They are absolutely in their very much right to protect their very interest of the peoples. So are we," Trivedi said.

Describing Bangladesh-India ties as distinct from a merely transactional relationship, he said the two countries share deep cultural and historical bonds.

"We go through not only transactional relationship, it is much beyond which is cultural. And that cultural bond is very, very foundationally solid," he said.

Trivedi, who said he comes from India's eastern state of West Bengal, said he understands the historical and cultural connections between the people of the two countries.

"This relationship is very difficult for the outside world to understand, which is culturally deep-rooted," he said.

He said the two countries' relationship has a unique cultural foundation, referring to the shared legacy of Bengali cultural icons.

"Can you imagine that one person, Rabindranath Tagore, has written the national anthem for both the countries?" the envoy said.

The high commissioner also said good neighbours should support each other when faced with calamities or security challenges, while respecting each other's sovereignty and domestic policies. "At the same time, no neighbour has any reason to interfere in each other's policies," he said.

Trivedi acknowledged that disagreements are inevitable between neighbouring democracies.

"In a family, there are hiccups, and if I say that no, there are no issues. If there are no issues, there is not democracy. In democracies, you are bound to have issues," he said.

He said such issues can only be addressed through dialogue and consultation, with trust serving as their foundation.

"Issues can only and only be settled through dialogue, through consultation. And the basis of that dialogue is trust," he said.

"Without dialogue, it is not possible to sort out relationship from remote. And that is what we feel that is work in progress all the time," he added.

Trivedi expressed confidence that the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries would continue to underpin bilateral relations. "I have full confidence that it's here to stay," he said.

The discussion was organised to examine ways of managing strategic rivalry and reducing the risk of escalation amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.

President of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies Maj Gen (Retd) ANM Muniruzzaman, former Army Commander of the Indian Army Arun Kumar Sahni, Professor at Georgetown University Carol Christine Fair, and foreign relations adviser to the mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mustafa Osman Turan also participated in the discussion.

Managing Director of Cnsltng-Bsnss-Dvlpmnt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faris Hadrovic moderated the session.

Turan, who also served as Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh, said strategic autonomy does not simply mean sitting in the middle.

"It means having the ability to make your own decisions in pursuit of your strategic interests," he said.

Muniruzzaman said they live in an "extremely contested and fragmented" world and Bangladesh is playing the role of an aspiring middle power.

Arun Kumar Sahni said stability rests on two foundations - sovereignty from a military perspective, and trust.