Former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar has said that although there is temporary strain in India-Bangladesh relations, it cannot erase the two countries' long-standing bond.

He expressed this hope while speaking at the "Bay of Bengal Conversation" in Dhaka on Sunday (October 4).

M. J. Akbar said both Bangladesh and India are civilizational states. He said Bangladesh's identity is not that of an artificially created state; rather, it is a civilizational state with its own distinct character, founded on the strength of language.

Noting that there will always be ups and downs in the relationship between the two countries, he said that in resolving mutual problems, one cannot remain confined to the question of "what is possible" — the question of "why is it impossible" must also be asked. Only then can a path to new possibilities open up.

Highlighting the importance of sovereignty, M. J. Akbar said that if sovereignty is not respected, the world could move toward growing disorder.

Speaking on wars and conflicts around the world, he said the 20th century was a century of three world wars. He described the Cold War as a kind of world war as well. In his words, while this war remained "cold" in Europe, its impact in Southeast Asia and South Africa was not cold at all.

M. J. Akbar said these conflicts were called world wars not because the entire world directly took part in the fighting, but because conflicts arose among superpowers and empires centered on control of the world.

Noting that the nature of war in the 21st century is different from before, he said the wars of the present time cannot be viewed as a single world war; rather, they constitute an ongoing series of conflicts across the world. These wars do not continue uninterrupted — they occur in phases — but they never fully stop either.