The meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangkok on Friday is a stepping stone to easing the strained bilateral relations, say foreign policy analysts.

"The meeting is a silver lining. If the conversation continues frankly, all issues can be addressed," said Prof Niloy Ranjan Biswas, a teacher of international relations at the University of Dhaka.

Modi agreed to the meeting, which lasted for 40 minutes on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Shangri-la Hotel, at the last moment, The Daily Star has learnt from people involved with the proceedings.

"The meeting should be seen in a positive light. It is a sign of maturity that both leaders could share their concerns," Prof Sreeradha Datta at the Jindal School of International Affairs at OP Jindal Global University, India, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Anti-India sentiment grew in Bangladesh for India's alleged support for Sheikh Hasina's 15-year authoritarian rule and later sheltering her after she was ousted on August 5 last year.

The interim government said Hasina has been making inflammatory statements via social media and urging her party men to engage in anti-state activities in Bangladesh.

Since the fall of the AL government, India has drastically cut down on visas for Bangladeshis.

The Indian government too expressed concerns over alleged minority repression.

"The relationship is likely to normalise once there is a democratically-elected government in power in Bangladesh."

— Sreeradha Datta, international affairs professor

In December last year, Dhaka sought extradition for Hasina, who faces charges of mass killings in Bangladesh during the July uprising.

At Friday's meeting, Yunus did not hesitate to seek an update on Hasina's extradition request, detailing the crimes committed during the July uprising and referring to the UN Fact-Finding Mission's report.

Prof Sreeradha Datta, also a non-resident senior fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, said the extradition process is a complicated one.

Bangladesh will have to initiate legal procedures for a formal request of extradition and India's judicial system will examine the matter closely. Extradition request is a complex issue and any such move will not be easy.

India will not extradite Hasina unless there is serious international pressure, said a diplomatic source.

Yunus raised the issue of Hasina's inflammatory statements at the meeting, but Modi blamed social media for the tensions around her remarks.

Modi also urged that "the rhetoric that vitiates the environment" is avoided.

India has not taken positively the recent remarks by Yunus on northeast India during his visit to China, Datta said.

"I think both sides need to maintain logic and speak based on facts when those involve bilateral relations," she said.

Modi's statement that India believes in people-centric relationships and does not support any particular political party or individual is extremely important, Biswas said.

"To take the relations forward, I would suggest that India ease the visa regime for Bangladeshis at the soonest. This will greatly help normalise the relations."

Yunus rightly invited Indian media to visit Bangladesh and report the facts on minority issues.

"This can help remove any wrong perceptions," he added.

Some of the issues that irritate Bangladesh including the long-pending Teesta water sharing deal, the renewal of the Ganges water treaty and border killing were raised by Yunus in the meeting.

"The frank conversation at all levels between the two countries needs to continue to address the issues," Datta said.

Bangladesh deeply values its relationship with India, Yunus told Modi, describing the historical links and acknowledging India's role in Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.

Modi reiterated India's support for a "democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh" and highlighted that cooperation between the two countries has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries and underlined India's desire to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on pragmatism.

"These positive comments from both sides are a friendly gesture, but the relationship is likely to normalise once there is a democratically-elected government in power in Bangladesh," Datta added.