Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has reached Delhi on a two-day official visit.
He landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, where he was received by officials from India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah.
The visit is taking place ahead of his participation in the Indian Ocean Conference in Port Louis, Mauritius. He is accompanied by the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir.
During the visit, he is expected to hold meetings with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as well as other senior officials. Following the visit, he will travel to Mauritius on the same flight to attend the conference.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said that Bangladesh and India share warm historical ties and that the visit will further strengthen their partnership.
Diplomatic sources indicate that discussions may include energy cooperation, the resumption of Indian tourist visas for Bangladeshi citizens, renewal of the Ganges water-sharing treaty, Bangladesh’s candidacy at the 81st United Nations General Assembly, and broader trade issues. The possibility of a visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India may also be discussed.
According to diplomatic sources, Dr Khalilur Rahman is scheduled to meet NSA Ajit Doval in Delhi this evening. On April 8, he will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House at 1:00 pm. Later, he will pay courtesy calls on India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal at 4:30 pm and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at 5:30 pm.
After the visit, he will depart for Port Louis at 8:00 am on April 9. Diplomatic sources also suggest that both Jaishankar and Khalilur Rahman may travel on the same flight to the conference, during which they could discuss bilateral issues during the approximately 10-hour journey.
