Amid BRICS invite row, Dhaka gives update on Tarique Rahman's India visit
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's anticipated visit to India will take place when the timing is conducive and both sides agree on a mutually acceptable schedule, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said.
The minister, reiterating Dhaka's earlier position, said the country was not in a hurry to schedule the visit and that the decision would be based on discussions between the two countries.
India had invited Rahman to attend the recently held BRICS summit in his capacity as chairman of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), while a separate bilateral invitation had reportedly been in place since February. However, the Bangladesh PM decided not to attend the summit.
"The visit will take place when the timing is conducive and when discussions lead to a mutually acceptable timeframe. Once both sides agree on a suitable schedule, the visit will happen," Kobir said.
On Bangladesh's decision not to attend the BRICS summit, Kobir clarified that the invitation was extended not to the Bangladesh Prime Minister in his capacity as PM, but to Bangladesh as the chair of BIMSTEC. He added that Dhaka wanted to build a new relationship with India through direct bilateral engagement.
"We want to move towards a new relationship, which should be done through bilateral discussions, not through a multilateral forum," he said.
India-Bangladesh relations have been strained since ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following the youth-led uprising in August 2024. Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition and objected to her continuing political activities from India.
Kobir described the current state of India-Bangladesh ties as a "working relationship" and "a work in progress", saying Dhaka hoped to reset bilateral relations.
"It is a working relationship. It's a work in progress and we'll look at both sides, hopefully we are looking at it positively in terms of resetting the relations," he added.
The comments came as Bangladesh said it wanted to "reset" its relationship with India and develop a new bilateral engagement based on mutual interests. Dhaka has also described the relationship during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina as "uncomfortable".
The minister also urged Bangladesh to move beyond what he described as an excessive focus on India and instead treat New Delhi as one of several countries with which Dhaka maintains bilateral relations.
"We have to get out of the India fascination. India is just another country, and Bangladesh wants good bilateral relations with it," he said.
Earlier this month, against the backdrop of the tensions, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi held a series of meetings with senior Bangladeshi officials and political leaders.
Trivedi met Prime Minister’s Adviser Md Ismail Jabiullah, with the Indian High Commission saying the two sides discussed a wide range of issues concerning bilateral relations and people-to-people ties.
"People-to-people relations form the foundation of bilateral relations, and emphasis was placed on this matter in the discussions," the Indian High Commission said.
The mission said both sides expressed optimism that the two countries would continue to work together with a "forward-looking approach, based on mutual trust and mutual benefit."
Trivedi also met Bangladesh’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo and State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam to discuss cooperation on wildlife conservation, habitat protection, transboundary pollution and waste management.- EndsPublished By: Ajmal Published On: Sep 15, 2026 07:30 IST
