Amid diplomatic tensions, Jaishankar meets Bangladesh’s Hossain in Muscat

In a bid to ease tensions between India and Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on Sunday in Muscat, Oman, on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference. The two leaders discussed mutual concerns during their meeting at the JW Marriott Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The conference, held from February 16-17, is organised by India Foundation in partnership with Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the theme "Voyages to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership." Jaishankar is co-chairing the conference with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi and Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Calls for adherence to pacts for Indo-Pacific stability

• While delivering a keynote address at the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday, EAM S Jaishankar highlighted the critical role of adhering to agreements to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region
• The minister said changes in the global order might be expressed through new ideas and concepts. “But these are also reflected in the evolving landscape. The Indian Ocean region is no exception to that rule,” he said
• The External Affairs Minister said the Indian Ocean was a “global lifeline”. “It’s production, consumption, contribution and connectivity is central to the manner in which the world runs today,” he added

The marks the second bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Hossain since August last year, following the political unrest in Bangladesh and the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government. The first meeting took place in September 2024 during the UN General Assembly session in New York.

The last diplomatic meeting between India and Bangladesh took place in December last year, when Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Bangladesh’s interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jasim Uddin and also Hossain in Dhaka.

The meeting takes place amid heightened tensions following the destruction of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhaka.

India had expressed regret after the incident, strongly condemning the “act of vandalism”.

Following the incident, both India and Bangladesh summoned each other’s acting envoys. Bangladesh lodged a protest with India’s acting envoy, urging New Delhi to stop ousted PM Hasina from making incendiary statements. However, India conveyed to the acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh in New Delhi that such statements made by Dhaka are “in fact responsible for the persistent negativity”.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries have been strained due to the political instability in Bangladesh and calls for the extradition of Hasina, on which India is yet to respond.