Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has said India hopes to reinforce the existing interdependency between the two countries through more robust linkages in connectivity, culture, and commerce.

He was addressing a musical soiree at the Indian Cultural Centre in Dhaka yesterday to mark the 53rd anniversary of "Maitri Diwas", the day India recognised Bangladesh as an independent, sovereign nation in 1971, ten days before Bangladesh achieved its liberation, according to a statement issued by the Indian High Commission.

Verma described the occasion as a milestone and an everlasting source of inspiration guiding the India-Bangladesh relationship.

The high commissioner said both countries had deep stakes in each other's progress and prosperity, as he described people as the cornerstone of this relationship.

Verma particularly emphasised the important role the youth have to play as the custodians of the future of India-Bangladesh relations.

Foreign diplomats in Bangladesh, Bir Muktijoddhas, members of civil society, students and eminent personalities from the fields of art and culture attended the event, among others.