India and Bangladesh Launch Talks to Normalize Relations
India and Bangladesh are initiating joint working group meetings on trade and consular affairs to restore ties following the 2024 ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
The Government of India and the Government of Bangladesh are initiating joint working group meetings on trade and consular affairs to normalize bilateral relations. A Bangladeshi delegation will visit New Delhi on October 8-9 for trade talks, while a separate meeting in Dhaka will address visa-related consular issues. These diplomatic efforts follow a period of strained ties after the August 2024 ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently met with India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, in New Delhi to discuss the current state of relations. The meeting identified November and December 2026 as potential windows for a bilateral visit to India by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Rahman previously skipped a BRICS summit invitation in September due to objections over how the invitation was presented.
Beyond diplomatic visits, the two nations face critical pending issues. These include the December 2026 expiration of the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty and urgent energy pressures in Bangladesh regarding gas and LNG supplies. The continued presence of the ousted Sheikh Hasina in India also remains a point of contention between the two governments.
