Bangladesh and India continue to maintain high-level engagement by leveraging multilateral platforms, even as New Delhi remains cautious in calibrating its ties with the interim government in Dhaka.
Over the past year, senior leaders and officials of both countries have met on the sidelines of major international events.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks during the UN General Assembly in New York last year, followed by a meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok in April.
The next such opportunity is expected next week, when National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman travels to New Delhi to attend the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC). Officials say the visit may create space for discussions on bilateral issues, though no meeting has yet been officially announced.
A former diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The foreign secretary–level talks last December were the highest formal engagement since the fall of the Hasina government. India is moving cautiously with the interim administration. Multilateral forums, where both sides are present anyway, offer a low-risk avenue to exchange views and clarify positions face-to-face.”
Dhaka’s participation at CSC
Although Bangladesh became a full member of the Colombo Security Conclave in 2024, it did not participate in last year’s NSA-level meeting. This year, however, the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing confirmed that NSA Khalilur Rahman has been nominated to lead the Bangladesh delegation to the CSC meeting scheduled for 19–20 November in New Delhi.
The decision follows a formal invitation from Indian NSA Ajit Doval, who chairs the regional security platform.
Another former diplomat noted, “If the government has cleared the NSA’s participation, we can assume India has given some assurance of a meaningful sideline interaction. Otherwise, there is little reason to attend just for a photo-op.”
Officials in Dhaka and New Delhi, however, have yet to confirm whether a bilateral meeting will take place.
Colombo Security Conclave
The CSC began in 2011 as the NSA Trilateral on Maritime Security, involving India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Initiated by Sri Lanka, the platform aimed to strengthen maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
Its membership expanded with Mauritius joining in 2022 and Bangladesh in 2024, while Seychelles participates as an observer.
The Conclave focuses on five key areas of cooperation – maritime safety and security, countering terrorism and radicalisation, combating trafficking and transnational organised crime, cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure and technology and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
In 2024, CSC members signed a Charter and a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Conclave Secretariat in Colombo, signalling the group’s growing institutional strength.
