Bangladesh foreign advisor likely to meet EAM Jaishankar in Muscat: Report

Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain is likely to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference in Oman next week as part of efforts to prevent further strains in bilateral ties, according to a media report here on Monday.

The 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC 2025) is set to take place in Muscat on February 16-17. Organised by the New Delhi-based research institute India Foundation in collaboration with Oman's foreign ministry, the conference serves as a key platform for regional dialogue. 

Prothom Alo newspaper reported that the two leaders are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the conference.

Diplomatic sources indicated on Sunday that Bangladesh may use this meeting to convey a message to prevent further strains in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Last month, the Indian foreign minister extended an invitation to Bangladesh's foreign adviser to participate in the conference, the report said.

If the planned meeting between Hossain and Jaishankar takes place, it will mark their second round of talks in five months.

Hossain and Jaishankar first met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in September last year.

The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after the ouster of Hasina, who was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August last year.

Nobel Peace laureate Mohammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina fled to India.

The relations deteriorated further over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

There had been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, as well as attacks on temples in Bangladesh after her ouster that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.

In December, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka. During his brief visit, he met with Bangladesh's foreign secretary Md Jasim Uddin.