Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the vision and values of former Bangladeshi prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia would continue to guide the development of partnership between the two countries.
He made the remarks in a Facebook post on Wednesday following a meeting with BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka.
In the post, Jaishankar said that upon arriving in Dhaka, he met Tarique Rahman, son of the late former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and delivered a personal letter from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I conveyed our deepest condolences on behalf of the Government and people of India,” he wrote.
Jaishankar added that he believed Khaleda Zia’s philosophy and values would provide direction for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The Indian foreign minister arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon on a brief visit of a few hours to pay his last respects to Khaleda Zia and was scheduled to depart later in the day.
Notably, this marks Jaishankar’s first visit to Dhaka since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, making him the first Indian minister to visit Bangladesh following the political change.
