Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Sunday expressed confidence that several outstanding issues between New Delhi and Dhaka could be resolved if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Tarique Rahman meet.
“I listened to his [Tarique Rahman’s] speeches many times. He is a people’s person, so is our Prime Minister. I think when two leaders meet, a lot of problems are sorted out. I have full confidence,” Trivedi told journalists after inaugurating a children’s play area at the Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka.
“There will certainly be a solution. I am very confident. There is nothing negative. Things remain positive,” he added.
The envoy also said India was gradually increasing its visa-processing capacity in Bangladesh amid high demand for Indian visas.
His remarks come amid renewed speculation over a possible India visit by Tarique Rahman. India has invited the Bangladesh PM to attend the outreach session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC, the seven-member regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. A separate invitation for a bilateral visit has been pending since Rahman took office in February 2026.
India is due to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.
“You would be aware that a formal invitation to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India was extended when he assumed office in February 2026,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said earlier.
On the BRICS invitation, Jaiswal said: “The invitation has been extended as per the standard practice being followed in BRICS for the outreach sessions. Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner.”
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman had earlier said Dhaka was reviewing the invitation. “We are reviewing it now. We will take a decision and inform you immediately,” he said.
The prospect of a Modi-Tarique meeting comes at a sensitive point in India-Bangladesh ties following ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent virtual address at an event in New Delhi, which drew a sharp reaction from Dhaka.
India subsequently said the event had been organised by a private media organisation and that the government had “no role” in it or endorsed the remarks made there.
“The government does not endorse anything said at the Forum, especially with regard to the duly-constituted government of Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said.
He added that India continued to closely follow developments in its neighbourhood while keeping its national security interests in mind.