NSA Doval hosts B’desh Foreign Min for dinner meet, discusses ways to reset ties

New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval hosted Bangladesh Foreign minister Khalilur Rahman for a dinner meeting on Tuesday, hours after the latter landed in New Delhi for a three-day visit aimed at repairing bilateral ties following more than 18 months of heightened diplomatic tension.

It is the first high-level visit to India by a senior member of the new Bangladesh Nationalist Party government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman that came to power in February following the parliamentary elections.

Various aspects of India-Bangladesh relations figured in the talks between Doval and Rahman with a focus on charting a new momentum in the ties, people familiar with the matter said. There is no official word on the meeting yet.

Foreign minister Rahman’s delegation included Humayun Kabir, foreign affairs adviser to the Prime Minister. Rahman is scheduled to hold extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday. The Bangladesh foreign minister will also meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Warm welcome to Foreign Minister Rahman of Bangladesh on his arrival in New Delhi today, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.

India and Bangladesh share warm and historic ties anchored in strong people to people relations, he said, adding Rahman’s visit will “further bolster” India Bangladesh partnership.

The relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed major downturn after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August, 2024.

The two sides initiated efforts to stabilise the relations after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the inauguration of Tarique Rahman as the prime minister in Dhaka on February 17.

Rahman became the PM following his party’s landslide victory in the parliamentary polls.

In a statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said that Dhaka will emphasise “stability and continuous development of bilateral relations based on dignity, mutual trust and respect, and shared interests” during Rahman’s meetings with his Indian interlocutors.