Bangladesh

Bangladesh open to join Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Turkiye defence alliance

Bangladesh is open to joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, two junior ministers have said, while stressing that any decision would be guided by the country's national interests. Signed in Makkah on August 7, the pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three. "Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade," newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kobir said. In an interview with the Bangla service of state-run BSS on Friday, Kobir said the government was pursuing a "Bangladesh First" policy and a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core, which might lead Dhaka to join the ..

Indian, US firms eye investment in Bangladesh, propose land port upgrades

Businesses from India and the US have expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh and made proposals to improve the country's investment climate, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir has said. Muktadir's remarks on Saturday came after attending a meeting at the Sylhet Metropolitan Police headquarters. He also said that some Indian businesspeople who recently visited Bangladesh have already invested in the country, the state-run BSS news agency reported. The commerce minister's remarks came days after a 14-member Confederation of Indian Industry delegation visited Bangladesh from August 17 to 19 to explore opportunities for expanding bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation. He said that Indian businesspeople have expressed interest in making the land ports between Bangladesh and India fully operational. "They have said that the closure or limited operation of land ports increases the cost of raw materials for Indian businesses," he said. Indian business ...

Bangladesh may join Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye pact if national interests align

Bangladesh is open to joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, two junior ministers have said, while stressing that any decision would be guided by the country's national interests. Signed in Makkah on August 7, the pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three. "Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade," newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kobir said. In an interview with the Bangla service of state-run BSS on Friday, Kobir said the government was pursuing a "Bangladesh First" policy and a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core, which might lead Dhaka to join the ..

Rashtrapati Bhavan withdraws communique on rehearsal for B'desh PM visit

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique on Friday announcing the cancellation of Saturday's Change of Guard ceremony to accommodate the full rehearsal of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ceremonial welcome was withdrawn, adding a fresh layer of confusion to the status of the high-profile visit. The withdrawal highlighted the ongoing diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Dhaka ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit on September 12-13. Relations have been strained over Bangladesh's recent demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. A fresh communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said "press release issued on the subject 'No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday', which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn." This communique came an hour after the President's house had announced that it was cancelling the weekly ceremony for the full rehearsal of the welcome planned for the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister. "The Change of Guard Ceremony at the ...

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir takes oath as Bangladesh's President

Alamgir, 78, a longtime secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was administered the oath of office by Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal

Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman unlikely to visit India for BRICS Summit

New Delhi and Dhaka are exploring a summit between the two prime ministers later this year as they renegotiate the 30-year-old Ganga Water Treaty expiring in December

No decision yet on PM Tarique Rahman's visit to India: B'desh govt official

The South Asian neighbours have been in talks ‌for weeks regarding Rahman's first trip to ​New Delhi since taking ​office in February

Indian envoy discusses issues of mutual interest with B'desh Finance min

Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi met Bangladesh Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and discussed bilateral development projects and issues of mutual interest. The meeting comes amid uncertainty surrounding Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India for next month's BRICS Summit following fresh strains in bilateral ties over Dhaka's demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Finance and Planning of Bangladesh, H. E. Mr. Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and held discussions on mutual interest on economic cooperation and bilateral development projects between India and Bangladesh," the High Commission of India in Bangladesh posted on X on Thursday. Trivedi also gifted Chowdhury a copy of 'Arthashastra' by Kautilya. "Arthashastra says, 'Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere'," the Indian mission quoted from the book. Earlier, Trivedi also met the

India visit unlikely without mutual trust, says adviser to B'desh PM

The possibility of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India next month for BRICS Summit "remains slim" unless an appropriate environment based on "mutual trust" is created, along with a "dignified invitation" from New Delhi, his Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir has said. He said Dhaka is in no hurry to arrange a top-level visit without clearly defined national interests. "There is no justification for rushing into a top-level visit by going beyond the national interest," Kobir told state-run BSS news agency in an interview published on Thursday. The interview was held on August 17. The comments came amid uncertainties over Rahman's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13 amid fresh strains in bilateral ties over Dhaka's demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "The possibility of the Prime Minister visiting India ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit remains slim unless an appropriate environment is created based on .

BNP's Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir elected as Bangladesh's new President

Ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Thursday elected as the country's new President in the first contested poll for the post in 35 years. The 78-year-old BNP stalwart defeated his rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the Liberal Democratic Party chairman and the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance, Chief Election Commissioner and also Election Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin said. Alamgir secured 255 votes while Oli Ahmad bagged 88 votes, he said. Of the total 349 registered voters, 343 voted in the election. Six lawmakers didn't vote, he added. The president-elect will take the oath as Bangladesh's new President on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. It is the first contested presidential election in Bangladesh since 1991, as the office had largely been filled through consensus and uncontested polls in recent decades. The presidential election was necessitated after Mohammed Shahabuddin, a

Bangladeshis among 9 killed in Kolkata fire; WB orders hotel safety audit

Nine people, including a four-year-old child, were killed and six injured when a fire swept through a five-storey building housing several hotels in central Kolkata on Wednesday, with several Bangladeshis among the dead, prompting the government to order a statewide fire-safety audit. Officials of the state government and the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission initially said five of the deceased were Bangladeshis, including a woman and a child. However, sources at the Bangladesh mission later said the number of Bangladeshis killed in the blaze had risen to seven, adding that an official statement would be issued on Thursday morning. The blaze at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street, near the New Market area, came barely 48 hours after another hotel fire in Tarapith killed nine people, putting the safety standards of the state's hospitality sector under renewed scrutiny. Fire and Emergency Services Minister Kaushik Chowdhury said the fire brigade received the call at 2.07 am and began .

Bangladesh seeks faster business visas, balanced economic ties with India

Bangladesh has called for faster issuance of business visas for its nationals travelling to India and urged greater ease of doing business as it seeks to build an economic partnership with New Delhi that is "equally beneficial". State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh want businesses and private sectors of the two countries to "communicate more frequently", Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported on Wednesday. "Business visas for Bangladeshis should be issued more quickly so that businesspeople can travel to India more frequently," she said at a reception here on Tuesday night. The minister also stressed on the need to address "non-tariff barriers, standards and testing-related difficulties, procedural delays, and infrastructure constraints that affect the smooth movement of goods and services". Islam said Bangladesh wanted "more vibrant trade, investment and communication" between the two countries and that greater predictability and ease of doing business .

Bangladesh seeks guarantee clause in renewed Ganges water treaty with India

Bangladesh will seek a "guarantee clause" in the renewed Ganges Water Treaty with India and is ready to approach international forums to protect its water rights, according to media reports. Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee made the remarks on Tuesday at a seminar titled "Ganges Water Treaty: Issues for Renegotiation" organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs in Dhaka, the state-owned BSS news agency reported. The remarks came as the India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Treaty, signed in 1996 to govern dry-season sharing of the river's waters, is due to expire in December. Water-sharing has remained a key issue in bilateral ties between New Delhi and Dhaka, with Bangladesh pushing for a renewed pact and India maintaining that bilateral discussions on renewal had not yet begun. Anee on Tuesday said Dhaka remained committed to renegotiating the treaty and hoped that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would make a strong case for Bangladesh at the .

B'desh does not want ties with India to deteriorate over Teesta: Minister

Bangladesh does not want its friendly ties with India to deteriorate over the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement, a senior minister has said, urging New Delhi to take into account Dhaka's interests while pursuing its own. "The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours," Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee was quoted as saying by news portal tbsnews.net at a seminar here. "A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate," he said. Anee's remarks on Sunday come amid a renewed push by Bangladesh to address the Teesta issue, including through the proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with China's support, as Dhaka seeks to tackle recurring floods, river erosion and dry-season water shortages in the country's northern districts. He said the government had organised several seminars and ...

Bangladesh seeks 'propitious environment' for PM Rahman's India visit

Bangladesh on Sunday said a "propitious environment needs to be created" by India for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi, linking it to Dhaka's pending extradition requests regarding deposed premier Sheikh Hasina, according to a media report. The development comes amid uncertainties over Rahman's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13. Rahman met Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on August 10. During the meeting, he sought the extradition of Hasina, following up on formal requests sent to New Delhi so far. But there was no clarity on whether he would visit New Delhi. "Officials of Bangladesh and India have been in touch with each other for several weeks on the possibility of a bilateral visit by Hon'ble Prime Minister Mr Tarique Rahman to India," Bangladesh's foreign ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim was quoted as saying by the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news portal on Sunday. However, he told the media, the process was ..

Bangladesh says PM Rahman's India visit hinges on schedule, bilateral talks

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's proposed visit to India has yet to be finalised, with the timing depending on his "schedule" and the "progress" in bilateral discussions, a junior minister said on Thursday. "The government is positive about visits to all countries. But it will depend on the PM's schedule and on how far discussions between the two countries progress," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the foreign office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladesh counterpart to join the outreach of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC, as India is hosting the event on September 12-13. The BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional grouping comprising India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said that two separate ...

Sheikh Hasina vows return to Bangladesh in December despite threats

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared that she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" as she is undeterred by the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence. Hasina made the remarks during an audio-only virtual press conference -- her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024 in the face of a massive protest. Attendees were unable to see the former prime minister and heard only her voice. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she said, adding "I will go back home to be with my people." The Awami League leader also described India as a "great friend" of Bangladesh and said it always stood by her country in times of difficulty. In her comments, Hasina delved into the prevailing political environment in her country and the challenges facing its people, asserting that her return is not about power but to put Bangladesh back on the track of development, secularism and ...

Datanomics: State of Delhi-Dhaka economic ties after Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh's economic engagement shifted towards China, the US and the Netherlands after Hasina's exit, while trade and investment ties with India weakened

Ready to face risk of arrest or death to restore democracy, justice: Hasina

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared that she is determined to return home in December, pledging to face the risk of arrest or a death sentence, in order to "restore democracy and justice" to the country. Hasina said this at a virtual press conference in her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024. "My return is not about power, it's about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity," she said. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she said, adding, "I will go back home to be with my people." Hasina, 78, has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka. "I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh," she asserted. Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Since that verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her t

Bangladesh seeks India's stand on Sheikh Hasina's planned media appearance

Bangladesh has sought clarification from India over its position on deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's planned press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, coinciding with the second anniversary of her government's ouster, a minister here said on Monday. Addressing a media briefing, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also said that Hasina's public political activities from Indian territory could have a negative impact on bilateral relations between the two countries. According to some media reports, Hasina, 78, is expected to join a private event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) virtually on August 5 in New Delhi. Hasina's US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, and Bangladesh Human Rights Watch general secretary Mahammad Ali Siddique are among those who would join the event. "Bangladesh wants India to make its position clear on the matter," Shama said, adding that Dhaka do