When we think about diplomacy we often picture handshakes and lavish receptions, but animals too have sometimes been involved in this crucial part of global relations. Recently, some "fishy diplomacy" has caused "diplomatic tensions" and a "culinary crisis" between Bangladesh and India, said Al Jazeera . Queen among fish Hilsa, which is Bangladesh's national fish, is "cherished as the queen among fish", said the outlet.
Central to the culinary identity of both Bangladesh and the bordering Indian state of West Bengal, it was once used by former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a "tool of diplomacy" to "foster ties" with India. But now the fish, also known as ilish, is at the heart of tensions between the two nations because Bangladesh's interim government briefly banned exports of the fish to India in September. The ban came ahead of the festival of Durga Puja, which honours Goddess Durga's triumph over the demon Mahishasura, when the fish is traditionally eaten with mustard sauce.
Some saw the ban as a reproach for New Delhi's backing of Hasina, who has taken refuge in India since her removal from office. But the Bangladesh authorities insisted that the ban was simply to reduce the cost of the freshwater fish domestically because of a leaner harvest this year. "We cannot allow ilish to be exported while our own people cannot buy them," Farida Akhter, adviser to the Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, told the Dhaka Tribune .
But the plot thickened when .
