Bangladesh-India consular talks held
The two sides agreed to expedite consular access and transfer of sentenced persons and streamline visa-related issues
The second consular dialogue between Bangladesh and India was held in New Delhi on Thursday morning, said a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The dialogue agenda included expeditious repatriation of each other's nationals, particularly trafficked women and children, smooth facilitation of exit permits and expediting consular access, said the press release.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, secretary (East) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Bhattacharyya, secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs of India.
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The Bangladesh delegation included high-level officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh, and prison authorities.
The Bangladesh contingent sought India's attention on repatriation of the remaining Bangladeshi Tabligh Jamaat members who are still under detention in India. It also emphasized the importance of flexibilities in the visa regime and requested their Indian counterpart to address the disparities in India's overstay penalty.
The Indian contingent was also requested to ease registration requirements for Bangladeshi patients travelling to India for medical treatment. Request to ease travel restrictions via all ports for Bangladeshi nationals was also reiterated by the Bangladeshi delegation.
The two sides agreed to expedite consular access and transfer of sentenced persons and streamline visa-related issues. Both delegations reiterated their earlier commitments to share real-time information on arrests and detention.
Both delegations also agreed that the consular dialogue is an important mechanism to further strengthen the people-centric approach, which is at the core of the strong ties between the two friendly countries.
The dialogue was held in a cordial atmosphere and the leader of the Bangladesh delegation invited their Indian counterparts to Dhaka for the next round of consular talks at a mutually convenient time.
The first-ever consular dialogue between the two countries was held in November 2017 in Dhaka.
