Indian envoy Pranay Verma meets Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman, stresses positive ties

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, on Monday met Tarique Rahman in Dhaka and reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to pursuing positive, constructive and forward-looking relations with Bangladesh based on mutual interest and mutual benefit .

The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Bangladesh Secretariat , where the Indian envoy paid a courtesy call on the prime minister and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral engagement across multiple sectors . Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir and Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe were also present at the meeting.

According to the Indian High Commission, the discussions focused on people-centric cooperation aligned with the national development priorities of both countries . Areas explored during the talks included public health, trade and investment, financial inclusion, technology partnerships, rural development, women’s empowerment, and energy cooperation , reflecting a broad agenda aimed at boosting economic and social collaboration.

Sharing details of the interaction in a post on X, the Indian High Commission said the two sides “discussed bilateral engagement with a focus on people-centric cooperation in multiple domains aligned with the national development priorities of the two countries.” The envoy also conveyed “India’s intent to work together with the government and people of Bangladesh by adopting a positive, constructive and forward-looking approach based on mutual interest and mutual benefit.”

Officials said the meeting also underlined the importance of transforming geographical proximity into new opportunities through stronger economic linkages, improved connectivity and expanded cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two neighbours.

The interaction comes at a time when India and Bangladesh are working to stabilise and reset relations following political changes in Dhaka earlier this year. Rahman assumed office in February after his party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, secured victory in parliamentary elections, ending the tenure of the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus during which bilateral ties experienced strain.

Diplomatic engagement between the two sides has gathered momentum in recent weeks. Last week, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India M. Riaz Hamidullah met Upendra Dwivedi in New Delhi to discuss enhancing defence cooperation and joint training initiatives , signalling broader efforts to deepen strategic and security cooperation between the two countries.