India's "Neighbourhood First" diplomacy in action: Envoys meet PMs of Bangladesh and Nepal

India’s diplomatic envoys on Monday held high-level meetings with the prime ministers of Bangladesh and Nepal, with discussions focusing on bilateral relations, development cooperation and regional engagement as New Delhi sought to reinforce its “Neighbourhood First” policy. In Dhaka, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi met Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Secretariat, with both sides discussing ways to take bilateral relations forward amid recent diplomatic strains.

The discussions covered people-centric cooperation, trade and regional stability, while Dhaka also raised its demand for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India.

Rahman underlined the need to create a “conducive environment” for improving relations between the two countries. Trivedi, meanwhile, emphasised direct dialogue as a means of addressing outstanding bilateral concerns.

The meeting came against the backdrop of renewed tensions after Hasina addressed a virtual press interaction in New Delhi on August 5. Bangladesh subsequently protested against the event, while India said it had neither organised the interaction nor endorsed the views expressed by the former prime minister.

Before meeting Rahman, Trivedi had held a one-on-one meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Sunday. The foreign minister was also present at Monday’s interaction, along with Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other senior officials.

Nepal PM holds first one-on-one meeting with Indian envoy

In Kathmandu, Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava called on Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah in what was Shah’s first individual meeting with a foreign envoy since assuming office in March.

During the meeting, Shah stressed the importance of strengthening the historic ties between Nepal and India. The interaction marked the beginning of a series of individual engagements between the Nepalese prime minister and foreign representatives.

Shah had previously refrained from holding one-on-one meetings with Kathmandu-based foreign envoys. His decision to begin the latest diplomatic outreach with the Indian ambassador was followed hours later by a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming.

The simultaneous diplomatic engagements in Dhaka and Kathmandu highlighted India’s effort to maintain direct political communication with its immediate neighbours at a time of evolving political dynamics across South Asia.

While the Bangladesh talks centred partly on managing sensitive outstanding issues, including Hasina’s extradition, the Kathmandu meeting focused on deepening longstanding bilateral ties. The two engagements also reflected the broader emphasis of India’s “Neighbourhood First” approach, which places relations with neighbouring countries at the centre of New Delhi’s regional diplomacy and seeks closer cooperation in connectivity, trade, development and people-to-people ties.