India on Friday (February 20, 2026) said it would move forward to strength all aspects of its diplomatic ties with the newly elected government in neighbouring Bangladesh head by Tarique Rahman, the leader of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP).
At his weekly media briefing, India’s MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India supported “a democratic and inclusive political process” in Bangladesh.
“You would have seen that once the election happened in Bangladesh, our Prime Minister congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman,” Jaiswal said.
“On February 17, during the swearing-in ceremony, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, represented the Government of India. There, he handed over a letter from our Prime Minister to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” the spokesperson said.
“He also had a bilateral meeting with the Bangladesh PM. Building on warm and historic ties between the two countries, we look forward to further strengthening our multifaceted bilateral ties with Bangladesh. We look forward to engaging with the new government and taking things forward,” he said.
“On the visa issue, we have conveyed our desire to build our bilateral ties. We have a new government there which has just come in, all aspects of our ties will be discussed with them,” he added.
Birla had met with Rahman after the latter’s swearing-in cremony in Dhaka, as the former represented the Indian government there as a new government took charge after last week’s parliamentary elections.
“Glad to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Government of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka today. India stands ready to support Bangladesh’s endeavours to build a democratic, progressive and inclusive nation,” Birla posted on X after the meeting.
During the meeting, Birla congratulated Rehman on assuming office as Bangladesh’s new prime minister, and presented Modi’s letter to invite him to India.
Expressing optimism on the bilateral ties, Birla and Rahman agreed that India and Bangladesh should work together for their people’s well-being.
“Prime Minister, H E Tarique Rahman, conveys his greetings to India and PM Hon. Narendra Modi to the visiting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, at a courtesy meet following the swearing-in of the new Government,” Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah noted in a statement shared on the microblogging site X.
“Hon. Speaker conveyed wishes from India and Invitation to India. Both leaders expressed optimism to work together for the well-being of the people of Bangladesh and India pursuing a people-centric menu of cooperation,” he added.
BNP chairman Rahman was sworn in as the 11th Prime Minister of Bangladesh following his party’s decisive victory in the 13th parliamentary elections in the South Asian nation.