DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is likely to have a short trip to India in the second week of April on his way to or back from Mauritius, where he will attend the Indian Ocean Conference, diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi said.

“The stopover in India could be either before or after the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius. It is not fixed yet,” a source told The Daily Star.

India Foundation, in association with Mauritius, will organise the 9th Indian Ocean Conference from April 10 to 12 on “Collective Stewardship for Indian Ocean Governance”. It will bring together leaders, policymakers, and experts from across the Indian Ocean Region.

This will be the first foreign trip by Khalilur since the new government came to power in February.

After the BNP formed the government, Bangladesh and India are signaling positive gestures of mending bilateral relations that have been strained since the August 2024 political changeover.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent multiple messages to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and invited him along with his family to visit India.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has also called on several ministers, including Khalilur, and extended an invitation from Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

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