India has expressed hope for further strengthening its multifaceted relations with Dhaka.

Speaking at a weekly media briefing on Friday (20 February), Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman immediately after the BNP’s victory in the national election.

He said Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla attended the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh’s new government on 17 February and handed over a letter from Prime Minister Modi to Tarique Rahman.

Jaiswal said the letter reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.

Speaking on India-Bangladesh relations, he said, “Building on the warm and historic ties between the two countries, India looks forward to further strengthening our multifaceted bilateral ties with Bangladesh.”

At the weekly briefing, Jaiswal also spoke about Bangladesh-India visa operations, saying New Delhi would discuss the relevant issues with the Bangladesh government in phases.

Following the BNP-led government’s assumption of office, visa activities between the two countries have also begun regaining pace. On Friday (20 Feb), the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi started issuing visas to Indian citizens.