Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Saturday highlighted the need for continuous dialogue, mutual respect, and trust between the two countries to address bilateral issues. He stated that every issue between the two neighbors has a solution.

Speaking at a discussion titled “Power and Prudence: Managing Great-Power Competition without Conflict” during the ongoing Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka, he stated, “There’s no point hiding the issues, and there’s no point not talking about the issues.”

Trivedi, who faced a couple of questions, stated that the two countries must 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 stated that Bangladesh, as an independent and sovereign country, understands its own security interests and holds 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.

Regarding India, he stated that the relationship does not depend on what ties Bangladesh maintains with other nations. He also emphasized that both countries hold the right to safeguard their respective national interests.

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

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

Reflecting on the relationship, he stated: “We go through not only transactional relationship; it is much beyond which is cultural. And that cultural bond is very, very foundationally solid.”

Trivedi, who stated that he is originally from India’s eastern state of West Bengal, noted that he understands the historical and cultural connections that exist 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 stated that the relationship between the two countries possesses a unique cultural foundation, while referring to the shared legacy of Bengali cultural icons.

Expressing astonishment, the envoy remarked, “Can you imagine that one person, Rabindranath Tagore, has written the national anthem for both the countries?”

The High Commissioner also stated that good neighbors should support one another during calamities or security challenges while respecting each other’s sovereignty and domestic policies. “At the same time, no neighbor has any reason to interfere in each other’s policies,” he said.

Trivedi acknowledged that disagreements are inevitable between neighboring 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 organized 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, Georgetown University Professor Carol Christine Fair, and Mustafa Osman Turan, foreign relations adviser to the mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, 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, stated that 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 stated that they inhabit an “extremely contested and fragmented” world, noting that Bangladesh is functioning in the capacity of an aspiring middle power.

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

Why it matters

Continued dialogue and trust between Bangladesh and India directly impact regional stability and bilateral cooperation.