State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir today said Bangladesh wants to “reset” its bilateral relationship with India after what he described as 15 years of uneasy ties under an “authoritarian, corrupt and exploitative regime”.

“We want to move towards a new relationship, and that should be pursued through bilateral discussions, not through a multilateral forum,” Humaiun said in response to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Breakfast in India, lunch in India, dinner in India -- then when will you eat your own food?” he remarked.

“We have to move beyond this fascination with India. India is just another country, and Bangladesh wants good bilateral relations with it,” the state minister said.

He said his earlier remarks referred specifically to India and to the need to rebuild bilateral ties through direct engagement.

“What I said was mainly applicable to India. We want to build a good working bilateral relationship with India,” Humaiun said.

He said Bangladesh’s first engagement with a country with which it seeks better relations should ideally take place through a bilateral visit rather than on the sidelines of a multilateral forum.

“That was said only in the case of India. I never said that whenever we attend a multilateral event, we will not meet anyone,” he said.

Asked about recent incidents along the Bangladesh-India border, Humaiun said the government would address such issues through diplomatic channels.

Humaiun also said Bangladesh would raise its concerns with India at every appropriate level while adhering to international law, border protocols and agreements between the two countries.

Asked about the reported review of 101 MoUs, he said the agreements were being scrutinised as part of the parliamentary process.

On the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the state minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to leave for New York on September 21 and remain there until September 26.

The prime minister is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly, where he will present Bangladesh's new vision and highlight the country's democratic transition and aspirations for the future.

"He will share his thoughts and vision for the future of Bangladesh with world leaders," the state minister told reporters.

The prime minister would hold meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he said.

Asked whether the UN Refugee Convention would be discussed during the visit, Humaiun said Bangladesh would organise a sideline event focusing on the Rohingya crisis.

Asked about the possibility of a sideline meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and US President Donald Trump, the state minister said such meetings are often decided at the last moment during major international conferences.

“The primary focus of the prime minister's visit is to address the UN General Assembly," he said, adding that details of the sideline meetings would be known in due course.