Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma met Bangladesh’s new foreign minister Khalilur Rahman in Dhaka on Sunday and extended an invitation from external affairs minister S Jaishankar to visit India at an early date, reflecting New Delhi’s efforts to rebuild bilateral ties.
The move came less than a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to his Bangladeshi counterpart Tarique Rahman to visit India. India has signalled its intention to repair relations, which had fallen to their lowest point in decades under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
During the meeting with Khalilur Rahman, Verma expressed the Indian government’s “readiness to work closely with the new government of Bangladesh to further advance bilateral cooperation”, according to a readout from the foreign ministry in Dhaka.
Verma extended Jaishankar’s invitation to Khalilur Rahman “to undertake an official visit to New Delhi at an early date”, the readout said.
Khalilur Rahman “indicated Bangladesh’s intent to build a forward looking and balanced partnership based on mutual interest for the benefit of the peoples of both countries”, the readout added.
The Indian High commission in Dhaka said on social media that Verma “conveyed India’s desire to engage with the new government of Bangladesh and strengthen their people-centric cooperation in all domains, by working together in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner, based on mutual interest and mutual benefit”.
Verma also met Bangladesh’s new minister of state for foreign affairs Shama Obaid Islam and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations. The Bangladesh foreign ministry’s readout said the two sides agreed to maintain regular and constructive engagement to strengthen bilateral ties.
Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen and Pakistan’s high commissioner Imran Haider also met Khalilur Rahman on Sunday. Yao conveyed China’s firm support for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s “Bangladesh First” policy, and invited the foreign minister to visit Beijing.
Khalilur Rahman emphasised Bangladesh’s priority of strengthening regional cooperation for the benefit of all countries in South Asia.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman has assumed office at a time when the country is facing serious challenges, including restoring political stability, rebuilding investor confidence and reviving the economy after the turmoil that followed the student-led uprising which toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024.
Khalilur Rahman was seen as a surprise inclusion in the cabinet as the former diplomat had served as the National Security Adviser in the interim government led by Yunus. He played a key role in negotiating Bangladesh’s trade deal with the US.
