NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s new foreign minister Hasan Mahmud will make his first bilateral visit to India next week to take forward relations between the two countries and to frame plans for future cooperation, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
Mahmud, widely seen as a surprise choice for the foreign affairs portfolio after the Awami League won a fourth consecutive term in the January 7 general elections, is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on February 6, the people said.
He will meet his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar for wide-ranging talks on February 7 and deliver a lecture at a New Delhi-based think tank. Jaishankar congratulated Mahmud shortly after his appointment earlier this month and said he looked forward to working together to deepen bilateral ties.
The people said no major announcements or agreements were expected during Mahmud’s visit, which will be of symbolic importance as it will be his first bilateral trip since he assumed his new office.
“The visit will be about building on work done by India and Bangladesh in recent years for trade, economic and energy connectivity, and preparing plans for cooperation in the future,” one of the people said.
Mahmud, considered part of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s inner circle, represents the Chattogram constituency in southeast Bangladesh in the Parliament. A former academic, he earlier served as information minister and did a brief stint as minister of state for foreign affairs in 2009.
{{/usCountry}}Mahmud, considered part of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s inner circle, represents the Chattogram constituency in southeast Bangladesh in the Parliament. A former academic, he earlier served as information minister and did a brief stint as minister of state for foreign affairs in 2009.
{{/usCountry}}Hasina’s decision to replace former foreign minister AK Abdul Momen with Mahmud surprised many in Bangladesh’s political circles. However, Mahmud is no stranger to India and has visited the country several times in recent years. In August 2023, Mahmud was part of an Awami League delegation that visited New Delhi for meetings with the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mahmud has also emphasised India’s role in ensuring regional stability, which is essential for the prosperity and political stability of Bangladesh. He has also said that Bangladesh’s progress “would never be possible without the political and all-out support of India”.
Bangladesh has been the main beneficiary of India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and New Delhi has provided three lines of credit worth around $8 billion over the past eight years for developing infrastructure, including roads, railways, shipping and ports. India also has a crucial stake in stability in the neighbouring country, especially to ensure security in the strategic northeastern states.