Bangladesh and India are preparing a series of meetings in the coming weeks as they re‑engage after relations soured during the interim government that followed the fall of the Awami League.

“We are getting down to reactivating all tools of bilateral relations. Contacts are being made at the ministerial level,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during an interaction with a Bangladeshi media delegation at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on Monday.

The two countries have over 40 bilateral mechanisms covering different issues, including water, trade, border management, and consular services. Most remained dormant during the interim period, when India also drastically reduced visas for Bangladeshis.

Following the BNP’s victory in the February polls, both sides began easing restrictions.

Bangladesh resumed issuing all categories of visas for Indians. India, however, has yet to fully restore visas for Bangladeshis.

Misri said they were working on the full resumption of visa issuance for Bangladeshis but did not specify any date.

Trade restrictions and political rhetoric also strained ties during the interim government. The situation began to shift after the election, with Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visiting India in early April.

Addressing the media delegation, Misri said India seeks a “constructive, positive and pragmatic relationship” with Bangladesh, placing people at the centre.

Noting that the two countries share over 4,000 km of border and 54 transboundary rivers and are key trade partners, he said, “We want to progress and modernise our economic partnership with Bangladesh.”

He acknowledged challenges during the interim government but stressed that India is now re‑engaging with the elected government.

“Meetings are being scheduled. Results will be known in the next weeks and months,” he said.

A Bangladesh foreign ministry official said a meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh and India’s Border Security Force is planned for late May.

Misri said the present world situation provides lessons that strong cooperation among the neighbouring countries is more important than ever, and India and Bangladesh have been working towards this end.

He highlighted energy cooperation, saying India’s supply of power and diesel is benefiting Bangladeshis. He assured continued support in this regard.

Asked about the trade restrictions, Misri said India stands ready to take forward the discussions, as the livelihoods of people in both countries are affected since they are commercially engaged.

Trade will be something that will come up in the discussion first, he said, adding, “We want mutual benefits on both sides.”

Regarding projects under the Indian Line of Credit, Misri said Bangladesh had shown less interest in some projects after review. “Both sides will discuss the projects Bangladesh prioritises, and India will consider financing,” he said.

The Ganges water treaty expires this year, while the Teesta treaty has remained unsigned since 2011 due to opposition from then West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Misri said the Joint River Commission will discuss technical issues for early solutions. Asked if Mamata’s defeat to the BJP would ease the Teesta deal issue, he replied that foreign policy “operates from the capitals”.

About push-in of people whom India says are Bangladeshis, Misri said due process must be followed in this regard.

India has provided a list of 3,000 irregular Bangladeshis for verification, but Dhaka has yet to clear it, according to him.

A Bangladesh foreign ministry official said most on the list could not be traced or lacked proof of citizenship. “We cannot repatriate them under such circumstances,” the official said.

Asked about Bangladesh’s initiatives to revive South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation while maintaining ties with Pakistan, Misri said it was up to Bangladesh how it maintains relations with other countries.

However, New Delhi hopes that Dhaka does not do anything that negatively affects the interests of India and the relations between the two countries, he said.

He rejected the notion that India had engineered Bangladesh’s elections and showed bias toward the Awami League. He stressed the relationship has always been and will be “people‑centric”.

“We always work with the government elected by the people. People of a country may not be happy with any government, but a foreign country cannot do anything about it,” he added.