H.E. Tariq Ahmad Karim Interacts with VIF

A three hour closed door interaction was held at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on June 1st 2011 with H.E. Tariq Ahmad Karim, Bangladesh High Commissioner. A distinguished panel of experts, comprising former diplomats, security specialists, and scholars participated in the meeting.

Initiating the discussion, Ambassador Satish Chandra mentioned that given the VIF’s interest in foreign policy related issues it was only natural for it to focus on an important neighbour like Bangladesh. In this backdrop, he underscored the importance of not merely taking stock of India-Bangladesh relations but also examining the possibilities of making the current upward trajectory in ties between the two countries irreversible.

The Bangladesh High Commissioner provided a comprehensive and masterly expose of the progress made in respect of the various understandings arrived at and encapsulated in the India-Bangladesh joint communiqué issued during Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in January 2010. He underlined the game changing nature of the joint communiqué and enumerated the cooperation it had engendered between the two countries in diverse areas.

Following the Bangladesh High Commissioner’s presentation there was an animated discussion which generated many ideas on the manner in which India-Bangladesh relations could be taken to an even higher level.