India on Tuesday said it wants to move its relationship with Bangladesh in a “positive, constructive and forward-looking” direction, signalling New Delhi’s readiness to engage with Dhaka on outstanding bilateral issues through existing diplomatic mechanisms.

According to Deccan Herald, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks during a bi-weekly media briefing while responding to questions about the current state of India-Bangladesh relations and the possibility of a meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Bangladesh delegation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

“I do not have any information on whether the external affairs minister is going to have a meeting with the Bangladesh delegation, but I shall surely keep you updated if there are developments of this nature,” Jaiswal said.

Jaishankar reached New York on Sunday to lead India’s delegation to the 81st session of the UNGA and has since held several bilateral meetings on the margins of the high-level session.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in New York on Monday for a five-day visit, during which he is scheduled to address the UNGA and attend several UN programmes as well as bilateral and multilateral meetings.

According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Rahman is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of Pakistan, Bhutan, Thailand, Croatia and Haiti, as well as the Crown Prince of Kuwait.

Jaiswal was also asked whether reports that Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam is set to become the country’s next high commissioner to India indicate that bilateral relations are “back on track.”

“On the trajectory of the bilateral relationship, we have said this in the past as well, that India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said.

“We are ready to discuss all the issues, bilateral issues, within the structured mechanisms that we have right now. So that is our intent,” he added.

The India-Bangladesh relationship deteriorated significantly following the political upheaval in Bangladesh last year, with several contentious issues emerging between the two countries. Jaiswal’s latest remarks come amid renewed diplomatic activity surrounding the UNGA in New York.