New Delhi: Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, will begin a three-day visit to India on Tuesday, marking the first high-level trip by a senior Bangladeshi minister since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assumed office.
Officials said the visit reflects an early effort by both nations to stabilise and strengthen ties following the political transition in Bangladesh. In New Delhi, Rahman is scheduled to hold meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, highlighting cooperation across security, trade and energy sectors.
Bangladesh media reported that Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir will accompany Rahman, signalling the importance of the visit at the political level.
Ahead of the trip, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma met Rahman in Dhaka on Monday. According to official statements, discussions focused on expanding bilateral engagement with an emphasis on people-centric cooperation aligned with development priorities.
Verma reiterated New Delhi’s intent to work with Dhaka through a “positive, constructive and forward-looking approach” based on mutual interests, indicating India’s calibrated push to rebuild momentum in ties.
Diplomatic sources view both the ministerial visit and the envoy’s outreach as part of a coordinated strategy to strengthen engagement at multiple levels, ranging from political leadership to sectoral collaboration.
Rahman is familiar with India’s strategic landscape, having visited in November last year as Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser for the Colombo Security Conclave meeting. His current visit is expected to build on that continuity in dialogue.
Following elections in Bangladesh earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated Rahman, while senior Indian leaders attended his swearing-in ceremony, signalling continuity in India’s neighbourhood policy.
With trade, connectivity, energy cooperation and border management on the agenda, the visit is expected to shape the next phase of India-Bangladesh relations amid shifting regional dynamics.
