Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is reaching Delhi on Tuesday (April 7) on his first high-level visit. This official visit of three of Rahman is being considered to set the agenda for the possible visit of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India in the future.
According to the information, Rahman Foreign Minister S. Apart from Jaishankar, he will also meet Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Apart from this, he can also meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. This visit is being seen as a 'reset' to restart the stalled talks between India and Bangladesh and restore trust.
Diplomatic sources indicated that the main objective of the meeting between Khalilur Rahman and the Indian leadership was to see in which direction India-Bangladesh relations could move in the future. In this tour, the focus will be on security cooperation, border management, energy supply, and connectivity projects between the two countries.
India especially wants to pursue development partnership in BBIN region, projects related to North-East and Act East Policy. At the same time, Bangladesh's priority is to reduce tension on the border, restraint in cases of BSF firing, and agreement on sharing of Teesta water. Besides, it is also possible to discuss the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty (1996), which is expiring in December 2026.
The visit is part of the ongoing process of revamping relations between the two countries, as New Delhi and Dhaka want to move beyond the era when the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh was taking over the reins of relations between the two countries. This will be the first visit of a Bangladeshi Foreign Minister to India after 2024.
Khalilur Rahman's visit to India is scheduled from April 7 to April 9, after which he will go to Mauritius to participate in the Indian Ocean Conference organized by the Government of Mauritius and India Foundation.
Relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated badly after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power following student-led protests in August 2024. The nearly 18-month tenure of the Yunus-led interim government rarely met with the Indian leadership, with the Chief Advisor even making comments that were interpreted as a threat to India's north-east.
However, after the elections held in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter congratulating the newly elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tariq Rahman. Both the leaders have tried to realign relations and build consensus on challenging issues.
India has been considered close to Hasina-led Awami League, due to which a feeling of opposition has grown in Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Prime Minister Tariq Rahman has approached India for continuous supply of diesel in view of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
According to reports, India has offered to export an additional 40,000 tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh during the month of April as New Delhi continues to support the South Asian country due to the economic and energy fallout of the war in West Asia.
