Bangladesh wants to “reset” its relationship with India and build a new bilateral engagement based on mutual interests, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Sunday, describing ties during the tenure of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina as “uncomfortable” and calling for a more balanced approach towards New Delhi.
Kobir’s remarks came against the backdrop of continuing strains between the neighbours following Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 and her subsequent flight to India. They also followed a controversy over Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s absence from the BRICS Summit hosted by New Delhi on September 12-13. Bangladesh had said on Thursday that Rahman would not attend because he had not been invited in his capacity as prime minister, with New Delhi instead extending an invitation linked to Bangladesh’s chairmanship of BIMSTEC. India had also separately extended a bilateral invitation to Rahman in February.
Dhaka wants bilateral route for reset
Kobir said Bangladesh wanted to move towards a new relationship with India but stressed that such an understanding should emerge through direct bilateral discussions rather than meetings on the margins of multilateral gatherings. “We want to move towards a new relationship, which should be done through bilateral discussions, not through a multilateral forum,” he said, indicating that Dhaka favoured a dedicated engagement to address the accumulated differences between the two countries.
The minister also called for Bangladesh to move beyond what he described as an excessive preoccupation with India and treat relations with New Delhi as part of a broader foreign policy based on national interests. “We have to get out of the India fascination. India is just another country, and Bangladesh wants good bilateral relations with it,” he said. Using a metaphor to underline his argument, Kobir added: “Breakfast in India, lunch in India, dinner in India — then when will you eat your own food?”
His comments signal an attempt by the Rahman government to differentiate its approach from the exceptionally close political relationship that developed between New Delhi and Dhaka during Hasina’s years in power. India and Bangladesh substantially expanded cooperation under Hasina in areas including security, connectivity, energy, trade and border management, but critics in Bangladesh frequently accused her government of being excessively accommodating towards New Delhi.
Hasina remains key irritant in ties
Relations deteriorated sharply after the youth-led agitation that forced Hasina from power in August 2024. Her presence in India has since remained one of the principal sources of friction, with developments surrounding the former prime minister repeatedly complicating attempts by the two governments to stabilise ties.
For India, Bangladesh remains a strategically important neighbour because of its geographical position, extensive land border and central role in connectivity between the Indian mainland and the Northeast. The two countries also share deep economic, cultural and people-to-people links, while cooperation on security and cross-border infrastructure has become an important component of their relationship.
Dhaka’s call for a reset suggests that the new government does not intend to disengage from India but wants to redefine the terms of the partnership. Kobir’s emphasis on “mutual interests” points towards a more transactional relationship in which cooperation continues in areas of convergence while contentious political questions are addressed separately.
BRICS invitation adds to diplomatic friction
The latest comments follow disagreement surrounding Rahman’s absence from the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Bangladesh said he would not participate because the invitation had been extended to the BIMSTEC chair rather than directly to him as the country’s prime minister. India hosted leaders of BRICS’ 11 full members and 10 partner countries, along with representatives of invited countries and international organisations, during the two-day gathering.
Kobir’s insistence that the India-Bangladesh relationship should be addressed through a dedicated bilateral process rather than on the sidelines of a multilateral event appeared aimed at separating the wider diplomatic relationship from the BRICS invitation issue. The position also leaves room for a future summit-level engagement between Rahman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the two governments can agree on the circumstances and agenda.
Rahman heads to UNGA next
Attention will now turn to Rahman’s visit to New York, where he is scheduled to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Kobir said the Bangladesh prime minister would leave on September 21 and remain in New York until September 26, with his address to the General Assembly forming the principal purpose of the visit.
Asked whether Rahman could meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines, Kobir said such interactions at major international gatherings were often finalised at short notice and details of bilateral meetings would become clear later. The visit will provide Rahman with one of his most prominent international platforms since taking office and an opportunity to outline his government’s foreign policy priorities.
For India and Bangladesh, however, the more consequential question will be how the proposed “reset” translates into policy. Despite the sharp political change in Dhaka and lingering disagreements over Hasina, geography, trade, connectivity and security make sustained engagement difficult for either side to avoid. Kobir’s remarks suggest Bangladesh now wants that engagement to continue on a recalibrated footing — less defined by the relationship of the Hasina era and more explicitly framed around what the new government considers reciprocal national interests.