Rahman's India visit not ruled out, Bangladesh says amid efforts to mend strained ties

Dhaka had said that Rahman would not participate in the BRICS Summit as he was not invited to the event, with the invitation instead extended to the BIMSTEC chair

Bangladesh has never ruled out Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India, and discussions are underway to finalise the tour under a "proper bilateral framework", State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Monday, amid strains in ties between the two neighbours.

"Bilateral engagement is required to maintain relations with another country," Kobir told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

"The visit will be bilateral," he said.

Acknowledging "challenges" in bilateral relations, Kobir said Dhaka believed they could be "overcome through dialogue" and stressed that Bangladesh never ruled out the prime minister's India visit.

"Nothing gets resolved just over a phone call. We are having discussions, and things are positive," he said.

Asked whether Rahman could visit India this year, Kobir did not give a specific timeframe, saying Dhaka wanted the visit to take place in a conducive environment and within a proper bilateral framework.

"A top-level dialogue will happen when a (high-level) visit takes place", he said, adding that a conducive atmosphere first needed to be created through official-level talks.

Kobir also praised Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi, saying he was "doing a good job" and expressing hope that New Delhi would be "receptive" to his assessment of the situation in Bangladesh.

The remarks come amid efforts by Dhaka and New Delhi to manage strained ties following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India following her ouster in a youth-led agitation in August 2024.

India had invited Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit last month but he did not accept the invitation.

Bangladesh had said that Rahman would not participate in the BRICS Summit as he was not invited to the event, with the invitation instead extended to the BIMSTEC chair.

India had invited Rahman to attend the summit as chairman of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), while a separate bilateral invitation had been in place since February.

Hasina's 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 in August had said the atmosphere for Rahman's visit has been "vitiated" by Hasina's virtual press interaction in New Delhi held that month.

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.