Bangladesh positive about progress in talks on PM Tarique Rahman’s India visit

Bangladesh on Tuesday said it is “positive” about progress in discussions on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India as Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, amid efforts to address strains in bilateral ties.

“We did discuss the visit, and we are positive about it,” Kobir told reporters after his meeting with Trivedi at the foreign ministry, while making clear that no date had been fixed for the proposed tour. “The timing will come later,” he said.

Asked about some media reports that Rahman could visit New Delhi in November, the minister declined to comment on speculation.

“I cannot discuss rumours. There are many rumours. I talk about reality,” he said.

“The reality is that we had a very good meeting today and I am positive that we can get positive results in the near future,” Kobir said, adding that the prime minister would visit India when conditions are conducive and bilateral relations are based on mutual respect. He said Bangladesh-India ties are facing challenges, but both sides are working to address them through dialogue.

Trivedi had met Kobir about eight weeks ago when he was serving as Rahman’s foreign affairs adviser. Tuesday’s meeting was his first courtesy call after Kobir took charge as state minister. The minister described the meeting as “very cordial, very good and very fruitful”.

Trivedi, who also spoke to reporters after the meeting, said India’s invitation to Rahman to visit New Delhi remained open, and there was “no need to rush”.

“I am telling you again. Our invitation is open. I don’t think there is a need for a hurry. Everything is very positive. But we must give due time,” he said.

The envoy acknowledged that political compulsions remained on both sides, but said that “work is in progress”. “There is no question about anything like it. I am positive, the state minister is positive, and the people of Bangladesh are positive. Everything is possible,” he said.

Rahman’s proposed India visit comes against the backdrop of strains in bilateral ties since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Government on August 5, 2024, following a violent student-led protest. Hasina has remained in India since her ouster.

She was subsequently tried in absentia by a special tribunal in Bangladesh and sentenced to death over the crackdown on protesters. Her presence in India has emerged as one of the major contentious issues between the two countries. Dhaka has been seeking her extradition, while India maintains that the extradition request is under examination in accordance with applicable law and established legal procedures.

The Bangladesh foreign ministry had last month said the atmosphere for Rahman’s visit has been “vitiated” by Hasina’s virtual press interaction in New Delhi in August.

India has maintained that it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and it does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh Government. India had extended an invitation to Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit earlier this month as the chairman of BIMSTEC, while a separate bilateral invitation had been in place since February.

Rahman had declined the invitation to attend the BRICS outreach summit. Kobir had said that Rahman was not properly invited to the BRICS Summit.