Bangladesh-India ties should be 'very close' despite regime change: Muhammad Yunus

Dhaka: Bangladesh interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said that Dhaka-Delhi relations should be "very close" despite the recent regime change in the country, asserting that it is in the interest of both countries.

Yunus, the 84-year-old economist, became Chief Adviser on August 8 following the resignation of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country on August 5 amidst student-led mass protests.

"Relations between the two countries must be very close. There can be no alternative to this. They need this, we need this. This is essential from any angle, whether it's about economics, security or water," he was quoted as saying by Bengali language daily Prothom Alo on Tuesday.

When asked for his comments on recent tensions in bilateral ties, Yunus said the recent incidents in Bangladesh might have "disheartened" India and "they were not pleased with the changes." He did not mention the incidents.

"It will be difficult for us to move along without each other. It is only natural that we have close ties and good relations in every sphere,” he said.

India has urged the interim Bangladesh government to ensure peaceful religious events for the Hindu community in the South Asian country. More than 600 persons, including Hindus, were killed during violent protests in Bangladesh following the ouster of Hasina-led government, according to a UN report.

"Things will be clear to them when they see that the entire world is accepting us, how can they not accept us?" he added.

He said as far as South Asian diplomacy was concerned, his interim government placed high importance on strengthening ties with India and "at the same time, strengthening SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation".

Yunus said Delhi must forge good relations with Bangladesh not because "we are forcing them" but because this was “necessary in their own interest” as well.

"Just as we need them in our interest, they need us in their interest. So, we have to forget certain transient matters...The main thing is to maintain good relations. We have to use everything in our power to advance towards that," he said.

His experiment of poor men's banking earned Bangladesh the repute of being the home of microcredit, but he was in a protracted row for obscure reasons with the Awami League regime.

Several years ago, Yunus insisted that Bangladesh should take the opportunity of “growing up with two giants – India and China”.

When asked for his current views regarding the comment, he said, “Many years ago, I had said that is a large advantage for us”.

“The fact that we are positioned between two large economies is a strength for us, not a weakness. We can learn from both the countries. We will have markets in both countries. Both countries will come to us,” said Yunus, known for his close relations with the United States and the West.

Yunus said Bangladesh must maintain relations with both these countries and "this is an opportunity for us".

On the SAARC issue, Yunus said, "I feel that this is our future. The European Union can move ahead so closely despite such historical divides, we do not have such a history of conflict. Why can't we be able to move ahead?” Yunus said he extended this appeal to every regional leader he met during the recent UN General Assembly in New York and “whoever I have met, all said that they want SAARC”.

“The heads of government of SAARC countries held meetings with me (in New York). I held meetings with everyone except India. Sri Lanka couldn't come because they only just got their president. I would have had a meeting with him too,” he said.

He said, “Even if just for formalities sake, the SAARC countries took a picture together, indicating that we are together”.

Asked about the main hurdle for reactivating the regional grouping, he replied, “That can be resolved”.

“There is a solution to this. It can't be that we will keep SAARC but keep the problem brewing too. It is not that there has to be a final resolution to the problem. But we can more or less reach a solution so that SAARC can function,” he said.

Yunus said India can keep certain things suspended with Pakistan, but even then move forward and “this will be a major policy that I will pursue”.

He said Dhaka would intensify its efforts to get the ASEAN membership.

"There will be ASEAN on one side, SAARC on the other, with Bangladesh in the middle. We can be with the two blocs at the same time. Then we will have a wider position," he said.

On the domestic front, Yunus said reforms in every sector were the prime objective of his government. He added that the process for holding an election would go hand-in-hand with the reforms, but did not say how long his interim administration would run the country.

When asked for his comments on the possibility of Hasina's extradition, Yunus said, “We (interim government) don't need to dwell on these. We are sitting on judicial reform. If the judicial system is reformed, everything will come from who will be judged and how will be judged."

"We are not taking political decisions now. We are just creating the scope. Then you will proceed as you deem befitting. We are just facilitating," Yunus said.

On the demand from a section to ban Hasina's Awami League party, he said, "This too is not for us to decide upon".