‘If PMs Modi, Rahman meet…’: Indian envoy expresses confidence about sorting out bilateral problems

Dhaka: India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, on Sunday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as “people’s persons” and expressed confidence about sorting out problems between the two nations if the two leaders hold a meeting, local media reported.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the ‘Children Playing Area’ at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) on Sunday, Trivedi said: “I listened to his (PM Rahman) speeches many times…. He is a people’s person, our Prime Minister (Modi), too. I think when two leaders meet, a lot of problems are sorted out. I have full confidence.”

Trivedi stressed that people are united and there will definitely be a solution. “I am very confident. There is nothing negative. Things remain positive,” he said, Bangladeshi media outlet United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

On Tuesday, India said that Bangladesh PM Rahman has been invited to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi in September in his capacity as the current Chair of BIMSTEC.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a grouping of seven member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), it is a unique link connecting South Asia with South-East Asia, with five Members from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and two from South-East Asia (Myanmar and Thailand).

Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that a formal invitation to visit India had already been extended to Rahman after he had assumed office in February 2026.

Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner, he added.

On July 29, High Commissioner Trivedi met Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and reaffirmed India’s commitment to a “positive, constructive and forward-looking partnership” with Dhaka.

“High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, reaffirming India’s commitment to a positive, constructive and forward-looking partnership with Bangladesh, rooted in mutual interest and mutual benefit, and to deepening people-centric cooperation across all sectors,” the High Commission of India wrote on X while sharing details regarding the meeting.

According to the Indian High Commission, Trivedi also held a meeting with Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, with discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties.

IANS