Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is set to arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday (7 April) for a two-day visit, marking the first senior political engagement with India by the newly elected BNP government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which came to power in February after the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, the Indian Express reported .
Rahman, who previously served as National Security Adviser in the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, will meet NSA Ajit Doval on Tuesday evening (7 April).
The two had last met in November when Rahman visited Delhi in his earlier capacity.
On Wednesday, he is scheduled to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and is also expected to meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Ahead of the visit, India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma met Prime Minister Rahman on Monday and discussed bilateral cooperation across areas including public health, trade, energy, technology partnerships and connectivity.
Speaking to Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo before his departure, Rahman said the discussions will focus on the "future of relations" between the two countries. "We want a normal relationship with India based on mutual respect, dignity, and interests," he said.
The Indian Express has reported that energy supply is expected to dominate the agenda, with Bangladesh facing a deepening crisis triggered by the West Asia conflict.
Other key issues include counter-terrorism cooperation, border management, renewal of the Ganga water-sharing treaty expiring in December and the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing pact blocked by the West Bengal government.
Dhaka is also expected to push for the lifting of trade restrictions imposed by India over the past year and the resumption of full-scale visa services for Bangladeshi nationals.
The visit follows the trip of Bangladesh's DGFI chief Major General Kaiser Rashid Chowdhury to Delhi in early March, where he met RAW chief Parag Jain and DG Military Intelligence Lt General PS Raman.