Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Monday said India remains Bangladesh’s closest neighbour and its support for the nomination of Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman as president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly reflects a cooperative and generous approach.

‘The current parliament is very vibrant. The opposition party is playing an active role. We need to identify areas of cooperation and take steps to strengthen parliamentary relations,’ he said when outgoing Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma paid a courtesy call on the speaker at his office.

The Speaker also recalled that strong bilateral ties between Bangladesh and India were forged during the 1971 Liberation War when India extended all possible support to Bangladesh.

During the meeting, Verma said the Parliamentary Friendship Group could play a key role in strengthening ties between the two countries.

‘Diplomatic relations will move forward through bilateral visits of parliamentary delegations,’ he said.

The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral relations including economic cooperation, connectivity and people-to-people contacts through constructive engagement.

The high commissioner also congratulated Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on his election as Speaker and presented him with a copy of the Constitution and a memento on behalf of the Government of India.

Senior officials of the Indian High Commission, the parliament secretariat and other concerned officials were present.