New Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Vikram Kumar Doraiswami on Thursday, soon after presenting his credentials to President Md Abdul Hamid, said Bangladesh will ‘always be a very special partner of India’.
“…let me stress that Bangladesh is, was and will always be a very special partner of India. Ours is a friendship that goes beyond even strategic partnerships, because it is based on shared sacrifice, shared history and culture, and on the uniquely close ties of kinship. I want to underline this point,” he said.
“There is not, and will never be, a diminution of the highest level of importance that Bangladesh holds in India.”
A career diplomat of Indian Foreign Service 1992 batch, Doraiswami arrived in Dhaka on Oct 5 via Akhaura Land Port which is linked with the Indian north-eastern state of Tripura.
He also paid tributes to Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondhi-32 museum on that day.
Welcoming the new high commissioner, President Abdul Hamid said Bangladesh-India tie is on course of expansion and India is not only Bangladesh’s closest neighbour but also a trusted friend.
The head of the state hoped that the relationship would further be deepened in days to come, President’s Press Secretary M Joynal Abedin later told journalists.
The high commissioner also expressed his optimism at the press briefing at the Indian House in Gulshan and said “the origin of our partnership is based on respect.”
“We deeply admire and respect the spirit of the Bangladeshi people, who fashioned a nation based on their own unique identity in a historic people’s struggle. You faced the harshest of oppression on your own, with unique courage and heroism, unmindful of high death tolls and the barbaric mistreatment of sisters and mothers,” he said.
“Your Liberation War remains an inspiration to the world. It will always be our abiding honour to have offered you our support, just as we in India offer your bravery our respectful salute, nearly fifty years later.
“Today, Bangladesh is equally respected for the remarkable improvements it has recorded in social indices. Equally, we salute your sustained economic growth at the fastest pace in our South Asian homeland. With it, we appreciate your world-famous spirit of warmth and hospitality,” he said.
“Today, no matter whether it is the economic success forged under the statesmanship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, or the never-say-die spirit of the Tigers on the cricket pitch, the world sees Bangladesh with new respect. And we, as your closest neighbours, rejoice in this well-deserved recognition.”
He said it is in this spirit, and in recognition of the special commemorative years—Mujib Barsho, the Golden Jubilee of Liberation, and the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties—that he decided to begin his service “to this partnership by paying homage to the heroes and giants who brought us to this point in our history.”
“And so I offered my humble and heartfelt tribute to the luminous leadership of Bangabandhu, visiting the deeply moving museum to his memory at Dhanmondi directly on arrival from the land border at Akhaura. And I am going tomorrow to Savar to pay respects to the all the Martyrs to the cause of Bangladesh.”
He also recognized that even the closest of relationships need to be nurtured.
“My Government has ordered me to do exactly that. My colleagues and I will spare no effort to promote this partnership at all levels. We will also be the best possible advocates for this partnership with all agencies and entities, on both sides,” he said.
“This mandate reflects the approach of our Government, where fraternal ties with Bangladesh is one of our highest priorities.
“This was why, even during the COVID pandemic, our Foreign Secretary selected Bangladesh as the destination for his first visit after the suspension of most international travel.
“We are committed, in that context, to deliver with our partners in your Government, on a special “Air Bubble” arrangement to resume aviation, very soon. We are also committed to work jointly to tackle COVID.
“We will work at a pace and in a manner with which you are comfortable, ensuring fullest respect for your priorities and in a way that emphasizes the value we attach to this friendship,” he said.
As both countries move toward the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s Liberation, he said he is certain that the leaders of the two countries will continue “to increase their expectations for our relationship”.
Bio of Vikram Kumar Doraiswami
Vikram K Doraiswami joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1992. Prior to joining the Indian government, he worked for one year as a journalist. He took a Masters’ Degree in history from the University of Delhi.
After his in-service training in New Delhi from 1992-1993, Doraiswami was posted to the Commission of India in Hong Kong in May 1994 as Third Secretary.
He learnt Chinese, taking an elective diploma in that language at the New Asia Yale-in-Asia language school of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was posted to the Embassy of India in Beijing in September 1996 where he served for nearly four years.
Upon returning to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi in 2000, Doraiswami was appointed Deputy Chief of Protocol (Ceremonials).
After two years he was seconded to the Prime Minister’s Office. He later served as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of India.
In 2006, Doraiswami was posted to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York as Political Counsellor and in October 2009 he served as India's Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In July 2011, Doraiswami returned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, where he was Head of the Division for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
During this period, he was also Coordinator for the Fourth Summit meeting of BRICS in New Delhi in March 2012.
From October 2012 to October 2014, Doraiswami was Joint Secretary of the Americas Division of the MEA. He became Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan in October 2014, before being assigned as India’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea in April 2015.
Upon completion of this assignment, he returned to Headquarters in July 2018, serving as Head of Division for Bangladesh and Myanmar. In April 2019, he was tasked with setting up a new Division at MEA for the Indo-Pacific. Following a promotion in December 2019, he was designated Additional Secretary responsible for International Organizations and Summits.
Vikram Doraiswami’s interests include reading, sports, fitness, travel and Jazz. He speaks Chinese, French and some Korean.
