Bangladesh wants to reset its diplomatic relations with India following recent political changes in Dhaka. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir made this statement on 13 September 2026 after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman skipped the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Kobir told reporters that the previous relationship under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was uncomfortable and that both nations must focus on mutual interests.
Tarique Rahman took office as Prime Minister on 17 February 2026 after a victory by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The new administration has focused on diversifying foreign policy with visits to Malaysia and China. A planned bilateral trip to India was deferred in August because the government stated that a press interaction held by the deposed Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi damaged the diplomatic environment. Dhaka has formally linked future high-level visits to progress on the extradition of fugitives, including Hasina who remains in India.
Bangladesh justified skipping the BRICS Summit as a protocol matter because the invitation came in its capacity as the BIMSTEC chair rather than to Rahman personally. The Prime Minister instead prepared for his departure to the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Border states including West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram continue to monitor the situation along the shared 4,096 kilometre border. India has not yet issued a detailed reply to the request for a reset, and the extradition file remains a legal and political hurdle for both governments.
