Indian foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra has said that as far as Bangladesh is concerned, India has shared its "perspective very clearly" in the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in New Delhi on Friday.
"We did discuss very extensively regional issues and so far Bangladesh is concerned, we shared our perspective very clearly in the dialogue," he told a post-dialogue press briefing in the afternoon, reports BSS.
Indian Defence Secretary Aramane Giridha and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, among others, were present at the briefing.
When asked whether recent political developments and election issues in Bangladesh were discussed in the dialogue, Kwatra said, "It is not our (India) space to comment on the policy of a third country...the election in Bangladesh is their internal matter and it is for the people of Bangladesh to decide their future".
He continued, "We as a close friend and partners of Bangladesh, we respect the democratic process in Bangladesh and will continue to support the country's vision of a stable, peaceful and progressive nation".
Earlier, talking to reporters in New Delhi on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Bagchi also said that India will continue to support Bangladesh's vision of a "stable, peaceful and progressive" nation, reports UNB.
"It is for the people of Bangladesh to decide their own future. As a close friend and partner, we respect the democratic process in Bangladesh," he said.
While asked about arrests and jailing of opposition leaders in Bangladesh, he said the "characterisation" of all of these elements is "your words, not mine."
"Crackdown, jailed opposition leader, etc. are your interpretation. Please don't ascribe them to me," the spokesperson conveyed to the reporter who asked the Bangladesh related questions.
He said that they do not want to comment on the policy of any third country. "Elections in Bangladesh, as I have said, are a domestic matter for them," he added.
