Jaishankar bids farewell to Bangladesh envoy Hamidullah
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday met Bangladesh’s outgoing High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, in New Delhi for a farewell call and acknowledged his contribution to relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said he was pleased to receive the Bangladeshi envoy and wished him success in his future assignments. The meeting comes as Hamidullah concludes an 18-month tenure as Bangladesh’s High Commissioner in India.
Reflecting on his tenure, Hamidullah said he had sought to maintain and strengthen India-Bangladesh relations around the principles of mutual trust, dignity and shared interests. He said his focus had been on building a relationship that could remain sustainable over the long term.
Hamidullah also highlighted his effort to engage beyond traditional diplomatic channels, saying he sought to connect with people and strengthen the people-to-people dimension of relations between the two countries.
The diplomat assumed charge as Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India in April 2025. Before his posting to New Delhi, he served as Secretary (West) in Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The farewell meeting takes place amid continued diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Dhaka. In recent days, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, has held meetings with senior Bangladeshi officials, including the State Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Liberation War Affairs, with discussions focusing on bilateral and mutual-interest issues.
India has also reiterated its preference for a positive, constructive, and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh, maintaining that bilateral concerns should be addressed through established diplomatic mechanisms.
Hamidullah is set to leave the post after completing his tenure in New Delhi. His departure marks another diplomatic transition in India-Bangladesh relations as both sides continue engagement on a range of bilateral matters.