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Published : 23 Jul 2026, 05:17 PM
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS summit in Delhi, as part of efforts to thaw relations between the two neighbouring countries.
The 18th BRICS summit will be held in New Delhi on Sep 12-13.
The 11-member bloc's host nation can invite outside countries as special guests to the gathering.
On Thursday, State Minister Shama Obaed Islam confirmed that the invitation had reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She said the invitation had been forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office.
The invitation comes at a time when both countries say they are working to restore ties after a prolonged period of strain.
Relations between Bangladesh and India deteriorated sharply during the interim administration of Muhammad Yunus after Sheikh Hasina was ousted in the student-led mass uprising of August 2024.
Following the BNP's victory in the parliamentary election in February, however, both Dhaka and New Delhi began efforts to normalise bilateral relations.
Soon after the new government took office, Modi invited Tarique to visit India on an official bilateral trip.
The invitation was formally handed to him by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
As part of a broader geopolitical strategy, however, Tarique chose Malaysia, rather than India or China, for his first overseas visit as prime minister.
China was later included in the same tour, with the prime minister travelling to Beijing after Kuala Lumpur.
Speculation over a possible visit to India gathered pace soon after his return from that trip in June.
Earlier this month, the prime minister's defence advisor, retired Brig Gen AKM Shamsul Islam, attended the BIMSTEC National Security Advisors' meeting in New Delhi.
As part of the diplomatic effort to improve relations, India has appointed veteran politician Dinesh Trivedi as its new high commissioner to Bangladesh.
Media reports have also indicated that Bangladesh is preparing to appoint a new envoy to India.
According to Indian media analyses, New Delhi believes Trivedi could play a significant role in narrowing the diplomatic gap between the two neighbours.
In another sign of improving relations, India resumed issuing all categories of visas to Bangladeshi citizens from Jun 28.
