West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hoped for further strengthening the traditional bonds between the people of the Indian state and neighbouring Bangladesh.

She expressed her firm hope when Bangladesh High Commissioner to India M Riaz Hamidullah paid a courtesy call on the chief minister at her office on Monday, according to a press release issued by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata.

The meeting between Mamata and Riaz was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere, it said.

She requested the Bangladesh high commissioner to convey her greetings to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and the people of Bangladesh.

During the meeting, the chief minister said linguistic, cultural, shared values-based emotional bonds between the people of West Bengal and Bangladesh go beyond economic and trade ties, read the release.

She also affirmed her resolve to continue her engagement with Bangladesh in future.

Bangladesh and India went through tensions in their bilateral relations in phases on various issues since the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime on 5 August last year.

Mamata’s meeting with the Bangladesh high commissioner in nearly nine years came amid Dhaka’s concerns over push-ins, reports UNB.

Before his meeting with Mamata, High Commissioner Riaz visited the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and held a meeting with officials there.

On 29 May, the Bangladesh high commissioner to India submitted his credentials to Indian President Droupadi Murmu.

Extending a warm welcome to the newly appointed high commissioner, the president said they envision a “democratic, stable, prosperous and inclusive” Bangladesh.

She emphasised that the foundation of bilateral ties between the two nations lies in the shared sacrifices made during the Liberation War of 1971.