Indian foreign secretary due Wednesday

Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra is likely to be in Dhaka on Wednesday night as part of "high-level exchanges" between the two countries, officials said on Tuesday.

He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will host a lunch in honour of his Indian counterpart during his brief visit.

There are discussions regarding forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India within next couple of months.

The preparatory issues may also come up for discussion during Indian FS‍‍`s engagements in Dhaka, said a diplomatic source.

His planned visit to Bangladesh last month was postponed.

“Look, elections are underway there (in India). It (visit) was postponed because of various internal (India‍‍`s) reasons,” Foreign Minister Hasan told reporters when asked about the reasons behind the postponement of the visit at that time.

Though there was no official announcement from Dhaka and New Delhi regarding the visit, the Indian FS was scheduled to be in Dhaka on a brief visit on April 20.

Diplomatic sources indicate that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‍‍`s visit to India is planned for early July, after the conclusion of the neighbouring country’s o election.

World‍‍`s largest democratic exercise, spanning seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with the vote count set for June 4.

Pre-election surveys suggest a strong showing for the coalition led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is widely anticipated to secure re-election.

"Prime Minister‍‍`s (Sheikh Hasina) India visit will definitely take place. However, it will take place after the election in India," FM Hasan said recently.

He said it is not yet discussed at the official level when the visit will exactly take place.

In January, Modi extended warm congratulations to PM Hasina on her electoral victory, expressing hopes for the continued strengthening of the historically close ties between India and Bangladesh.

The last bilateral engagement between the two prime ministers occurred during the G-20 Leaders Summit in September 2023, where Bangladesh was the guest country.

PM Modi is expected to extend invitations to South Asian and BIMSTEC country leaders for his swearing-in ceremony, fostering regional cooperation.

The government of India in March extended Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra‍‍`s tenure by six months.

Kwatra assumed charge as India’s foreign secretary on 1 May, 2022 and joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988.