India recognised Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign state on the December 6, 1971

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and Bangladesh jointly recall and celebrate the foundations of India-Bangladesh friendship.

He said he looked forward to continue working with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to further expand and deepen New Delhi-Dhaka ties.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Today India and Bangladesh commemorate Maitri Diwas. We jointly recall and celebrate the foundations of our 50 years of friendship. I look forward to continue working with H.E. PM Sheikh Hasina to further expand and deepen our ties.”

In a video message at an event organized by ICWA in New Delhi on ‘Maitri Diwas-50th Anniversary of India-Bangladesh Diplomatic Relations’, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said, “Bangladesh and India are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This is a milestone in the journey of our bilateral ties.”

“India, recognised Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign state on the December 6, 1971. During the state visit of the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh on March 26-27, 2021, we agreed on the joint celebrations in 18 selected cities along with Dhaka and New Delhi and to recognize December 6 as Maitri Diwas,” Hasina informed.

Noting that India-Bangladesh partnership is not confined to treaties, MoUs, bilateral agreements- that provide the formal structure of our working relations, she said that this relationship is forged in history, culture, language and shared values of secularism, democracy and countless other harmonies.

“Today our grand partnership has matured taking dynamic, comprehensive and strategic shape and is based on sovereignty, equality, trust and mutual respect,” Hasina reckoned.

“Our bonds of friendship have been further strengthened, diversified and expanded in the recent years due to regular high-level political interactions and exchanges,” she added.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister stated that the core of the bilateral relationship now needs to concentrate on people-to-people contact, trade, business and connectivity.

“We shall become increasingly important for both sides, despite restrictions imposed by COVID-19 our relationship at all levels have remained stable and strong. This was evident in our excellent cooperation and collaboration in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” she pointed out.

“We continue to believe in the importance of our relationship. At the same time this anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the foundation of our bilateral relations and the path ahead. It is an occasion to recommit ourselves to work towards further strengthening the long-standing dynamic partnership between the two countries,” Hasina further said.

At the ICWA organized event, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said this day not just marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh but celebrates a unique relationship between two great nations and two great peoples.

It celebrates a common heritage and a great joint struggle and highlights our shared aspirations, he added.
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