Foreign Minister to visit Delhi on Tuesday before Indian Ocean Conference

Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman will travel to Delhi tomorrow (Tuesday), for a three-day official visit, prior to attending the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius.

This marks the first visit to Delhi by a Bangladeshi minister since the BNP government assumed office under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The Indian Ocean Conference will take place from 10 to 12 April in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, with Dr Khalilur Rahman among the attendees.

During his Delhi visit, the Foreign Minister will meet key Indian officials to discuss bilateral relations. On the first day, 7 April, he is scheduled to hold talks with India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval. The following day, 8 April, he will meet with India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, as well as hold courtesy meetings with India’s Minister of Commerce, Piyush Goyal, and Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri.

Accompanying the Foreign Minister on this visit will be the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Humayun Kabir. On 9 April, Dr Khalilur Rahman will depart Delhi for Mauritius.

According to government sources, the visit aims to strengthen long-term political and diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and India. Officials indicate that discussions will focus on the future trajectory of bilateral relations, with Dhaka seeking Delhi’s position on several key issues, including visa accessibility for Bangladeshi citizens, trade facilitation, and easing previous restrictions on exports to India.

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The sources added that the visit is also intended to convey that a strong, mutually respectful relationship should endure beyond the current government’s term, and that progress should be built on trust and reciprocity rather than external pressure.

This will not be Dr Khalilur Rahman’s first diplomatic engagement since assuming office. He previously visited Jeddah in February to attend the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting and the United States via Turkey on 14 March. Last year, he also visited Delhi in November as National Security Adviser to participate in the Colombo Security Conclave, where he met Ajit Doval.