Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said Bangladesh is not becoming a one-party state.

"Definitely, Bangladesh is not becoming a one-party state. We uphold the values of democracy. Bangladesh is a multi-party democracy," he said.

The Foreign Minister made the remarks while responding to a question at an interactive session hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia.

He said some leaders who are part of the BNP-Jamaat led alliance have the desire to turn Bangladesh “into Afghanistan” and they “cannot contribute to democracy.”

The Foreign Minister said BNP-Jamaat alliance has always tried to disrupt the democratic journey and they even tried this time too. "But they failed in the past and this year too. They were not successful," he added.

Despite challenges, Hasan said, democracy in Bangladesh is doing better day by day.

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He described the relations between Bangladesh and the US as cordial and expressed willingness to take the relations to a new height.

On the situation in Myanmar, the Foreign Minister said they should work together.

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Responding to a question on inequality, he said data shows inequality is reducing in Bangladesh.

Mahmud is on his first bilateral visit to New Delhi at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar.

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Describing the current state of relations between Bangladesh and India as a "golden chapter," he said the two sides are now giving highest priority to three aspects — enhancing mutual trust and confidence, promoting connectivity and ensuring all around economic cooperation.

"We are going through a golden chapter of our relationship. India-Bangladesh relationship is now a role model for the neighbourhood and democracy today," he said at the Vivekananda International Foundation, at a separate event.

Foreign Minister Hasan said India stood beside Bangladesh and remains beside Bangladesh to continue the democratic trend in the country by overcoming anti-election domestic and foreign conspiracies.

He said bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India have reached unique heights in the past years.

Both countries will work shoulder to shoulder to take it forward, he added.

Director of the Foundation Dr Arvind Gupta, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Md Mustafizur Rahman and former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Veena Sikri, among others, were present. 

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