India-Bangladesh relations improving despite Covid jab hiccup

NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh have seen a spurt in bilateral engagement of late with gifts being exchanged across the border and also a series of meetings between top leaders of the two countries.
The spurt is being viewed by analysts as a way to reduce the friction seen in the ties due to India’s non-fulfilment of vaccine commitments. New Delhi has so far supplied around 103 lakh doses of Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccines—commercially and as a grant. However, as the second wave of the pandemic came, India forced the Serum Institute of India (SII), the manufacturer of vaccines in India, to defer orders.

“The recent engagements are another sign that India’s engagement with Bangladesh has been one of its best in its neighbourhood. There is an all-round engagement, which is helping both countries. There has however been disappointment over vaccine supply. But, I don’t think there would be any major impact on ties as Bangladesh has managed to get vaccines from other sources. But they would love to get Indian vaccines. The government will soon have to allow some shipments of vaccines to Dhaka. We have given them vaccines when possible,” former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said.The two countries recently exchanged locally produced mangoes.