Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud is scheduled to leave for New Delhi, India on February 7 – the first bilateral visit by the minister after his appointment – to further strengthen Bangladesh-India relations. “It’s likely to be a three-day visit,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (January 18, 2024), noting that the agenda of the visit is yet to be finalised. The Foreign Minister said he will be visiting the country at the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. Asked whether he will have a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit, Mahmud said, “It is too early to say.” Read more: FM to lead Bangladesh delegation at 19th NAM Summit in Uganda Jaishankar, earlier, invited his Bangladesh counterpart Dr Hasan Mahmud to visit New Delhi at a mutually convenient time. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma extended the invitation on behalf of the Indian External Affairs Minister on Monday. The Foreign Minister accepted the invitation and told him that he would visit Delhi soon. Mahmud was scheduled to embark on a multilateral tour to Uganda last night. After two hours, he came to know that the flight will not depart due to fog and poor visibility. The Foreign Minister was scheduled to hold a meeting on the sidelines of NAM Summit today. The meeting with the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka marked Hasan Mahmud’s first diplomatic engagement since assuming the office of foreign minister. He noted the successful holding of the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on January 7, which was free, fair and participatory, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also noted that international elections observers and media who visited Dhaka to cover elections expressed their satisfaction over the election process. Read more: FM seeks EU's trade concessions until 2032 for Bangladesh’s graduation

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said the “regularity, informality and cordiality” of interactions between Dhaka and Delhi is a very good reflection of the trust and confidence, noting that leaders of the two countries remain in touch. “My visit today is aimed at continuing the progress and deepening our engagement and it is in keeping with the strength and spirit of our bilateral ties,” he told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy at a j media briefing jointly with his Bangladesh counterpart AK Abdul Momen. Despite the challenges of Covid pandemic, Jaishankar said they have remained regularly in touch and made good progress in bilateral relations with Bangladesh. Read: Momen hopeful of early signing of Teesta; India looks forward to Hasina’s visit “Our connectivity today is back to pre-Covid levels and we are looking at resuming cross border busses and train services shortly after Eid,” said Jaishankar who last visited Bangladesh in March 2021. Foreign Minister Momen said in working together the two countries resolved some major problems. He said both sides renewed commitments to resolve the pending issues as they have the spirit to work together. Jaishankar said he conveyed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina the personal greetings and good wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We look forward to her visit to India at a time of her convenience”  At the invitation of Hasina, the Indian PM paid a state visit to Bangladesh in March last year to join the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh, the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh. Read: Info minister considers legal action against TIB for lies At the invitation of President Abdul Hamid, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind also paid a state visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17 last year to attend the 50th Victory Day celebrations here as the guest of honour. Next JCC Meet in Delhi Before PM Hasina’s planned India visit, the next round of Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting will be held in New Delhi, most likely next month. The JCC will be co-chaired by Momen and Jaishankar.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrives here on Thursday afternoon as the two countries eye Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in July.  Jaishankar's visit may be seen in the context of frequent bilateral high-level visits and exchanges between the two countries, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday.  Both sides commemorate 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Also read: Jaishankar might come up with good news, says Momen The last visit by Jaishankar to Bangladesh was in March 2021. During his brief official visit, he will meet with the prime minister at 4pm. He will also hold discussions with Foreign Minister  AK Abdul Momen at the Foreign Service Academy at 5pm on Thursday, said an official.  Momen will also host an Iftar-cum-dinner in honor of his Indian counterpart.  The Indian external affairs minister is scheduled to land at BAF Base Bangabandhu at around 2:30m by a special flight of Indian Air Force.  He will visit Bhutan after wrapping up his Bangladesh visit.  What's Good News?  Momen on Tuesday said his Indian counterpart  Jaishankar might bring good news. "May be he’ll bring good news and we’re yet to know what that news is exactly." He said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is very sweet and they are very happy that Jaishankar is coming to Bangladesh. “We always welcome him. He’ll give us surprise.”  Jaishankar will be coming with the formal invitation for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on behalf of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an impending visit to Delhi - likely to be held in the first week of July, a diplomatic source told UNB on Sunday. At the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Modi paid a State Visit to Bangladesh from 26 to 27 March 2021 to join the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh, the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh. Also read: Jaishankar to visit Dhaka April 28 At the invitation of President Abdul Hamid, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind paid a State visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17 last year to attend the 50th Victory Day celebrations here as the guest of honour. It was the Indian President’s maiden visit to Bangladesh and also his first visit overseas since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The visits symbolised the partnership of half-a-century between India and Bangladesh that has strengthened, matured and evolved as a model for bilateral relations for the entire region. In an effort to give further impetus to Dhaka-Delhi relations, the two neighboring countries are now planning to have enhanced engagement including preparation for Hasina’s visit to India at a convenient time this year, officials said. Minister-Level Talks Before the prime minister’s visit, the next round of Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting will be held in New Delhi, most likely next month. The JCC will be co-chaired by Foreign Minister Momen and his Indian counterpart Jaishankar and a date is likely to be finalized during the visit of the Indian external affairs minister. Momen said there are some meetings that need to be held before the JCC. Asked about the issues to be discussed in the next JCC, he said Bangladesh will raise all the outstanding issues in the meeting. Asked about Teesta River water sharing and border killing issues, he said Bangladesh always raise these issues and will reiterate those.   The sixth meeting of the JCC was held on September 29, 2020. Although Dhaka was scheduled to host the meeting, due to the COVID-19 situation the meeting was held on virtual platform.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday paid homage to late Ambassador Syed Muazzem Ali crediting him for “playing an important role in taking the India-Bangladesh partnership to its current historical heights”.