India and Bangladesh are discussing new dates for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first official visit to New Delhi, with one window around August 21 and another in the first week of September under active consideration, people familiar with the developments said.
The invitation was first extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a telephone conversation following Rahman’s February election victory. New Delhi later renewed the offer in Rahman’s capacity as BIMSTEC chair, inviting him to attend the BRICS Summit in Delhi in September.
No final dates have been locked in so far. Officials from both countries are weighing domestic political calendars and the need for substantive outcomes from Rahman’s India visit. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has maintained that the invitation remains open and that India values a stable, productive partnership with Bangladesh.
Intense Diplomatic Activity This Week
This week has seen intense diplomatic activity aimed at stabilising relations between the two neighbours. On August 10, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, called on Prime Minister Rahman and separately met the home minister in Dhaka. Concurrently, the chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, Parag Jain, was in the Bangladeshi capital for consultations. The following day, High Commissioner Trivedi returned to Delhi and briefed PM Modi. The MEA publicly restated the invitation for Rahman to participate in the BRICS summit.
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Relations between the two countries have seen a concerted focus on resetting ties since a new government took charge in Bangladesh earlier this year. Indian High Commissioner Trivedi also met the country’s Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood earlier this month to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the power and energy sectors. During the meeting, Dhaka sought additional diesel from India, according to Bangladeshi media reports.
Areas of Friction Persist
The flurry of diplomatic contacts comes against a backdrop of continuing friction as well. Dhaka has expressed “outrage” over the continued presence in India of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a virtual press conference she held on August 5. In a strongly worded statement, the Bangladesh government condemned the event and the platform provided to Hasina. The MEA responded by distancing itself from the remarks made during the press conference, stating that India did not endorse the comments.