India, Bangladesh pledge stronger ties as envoy bids farewell

India’s outgoing envoy Pranay Verma met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman in Dhaka, reviewing bilateral ties and expressing optimism for future cooperation, while both sides pledged to strengthen people-centric relations after a period of diplomatic strain

Dhaka: India’s outgoing envoy Pranay Verma called on Bangladesh Foreign Minister Kahlilur Rahman here on Monday, and they reviewed developments and expressed optimism over the future direction of the bilateral relations.

High Commissioner Verma paid a farewell call on the foreign minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, the state-owned BSS news agency reported, citing a release issued by the Indian mission.
During the meeting, they “reviewed ongoing bilateral developments and expressed optimism over the future direction of Bangladesh-India relations,” it said.

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Both sides expressed confidence that the partnership would continue to grow, driven by the new capabilities and evolving aspirations of both nations, according to the state media.

Verma reaffirmed India’s commitment to work closely with the people and government of Bangladesh to further strengthen people-centric cooperation across all sectors in line with the development priorities of both countries and on the basis of mutual interest and mutual benefit.

Rahman also thanked Verma, who assumed the office of the High Commissioner on September 21, 2022, for his contributions to strengthening relations between the two neighbours during his tenure and wished him success in his new assignment, the agency reported.

Verma’s tenure as High Commissioner to Bangladesh witnessed a downturn in ties between the two neighbours, marked by political instability, economic strain and persecution of minorities, leading to a diplomatic tussle between the two neighbours.

The relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed a major downturn after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024.

India and Bangladesh are making efforts to rebuild bilateral ties after Tarique Rahman became prime minister following his Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s victory in the February parliamentary polls.
Verma thanked the foreign minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their consistent cooperation in advancing relations between India and Bangladesh.