Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday night spoke to US President Joe Biden over the phone and the two leaders shared their concern over the situation in Bangladesh.

During the phone call initiated by Biden, “The two leaders expressed their shared concern over the situation in Bangladesh and emphasized the restoration of law and order and ensuring safety of minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh,” read a statement issued by the Indian Prime Minister’s Office.

Modi and Biden had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including Bangladesh.

The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the cooperation in multilateral fora, including the Quad and they agreed to remain in touch, according to the readout.

This was the first time Modi and Biden spoke to each other on the issue of Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister and her escape to India on 5 August in the face of weeks of street protests by students.

Modi conveyed his appreciation for President Biden’s “deep commitment to the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership which is based on shared values of democracy, rule of law and strong people-to-people ties.”

The two leaders “reviewed the significant progress in bilateral relations and highlighted that India-US partnership is aimed at benefiting the people of both countries as well as the entire humanity.”

The Indian prime minister briefed President Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine and reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy and expressed full support for the early return of peace and stability.