Dhaka, Aug 2026 : Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir in Dhaka, with the two sides holding discussions on strengthening bilateral economic and commercial cooperation and exploring new avenues to expand trade and investment between the neighbouring countries.
The meeting focused on a broad range of issues of mutual interest, including improving the business environment, facilitating cross-border trade and strengthening connections between the private sectors of India and Bangladesh.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka said on Tuesday that Trivedi highlighted the important role of businesses and the private sector in driving the economic partnership between the two countries.
“The High Commissioner emphasised the important role of businesses and the private sector in steering the economic partnership for mutually beneficial trade and investment,” the mission said in a post on X.
The discussions also underlined the importance of people-to-people relations as a lasting foundation of India-Bangladesh ties. Both sides stressed the need to strengthen links between business communities, professionals and people in the two countries.
According to Bangladeshi media reports, the talks also covered several practical measures to facilitate bilateral commerce. These included reopening border haats, ensuring the full functioning of land ports and easing restrictions on the movement of yarn imports through land routes.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Trivedi on Monday, Muktadir said bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh was currently worth around $13 billion. However, he noted that several obstacles had affected trade relations during the past one and a half years.
“We discussed the problems and how trade relations between the two countries can be made easier and more effective in the future,” Bangladeshi news agency UNB quoted Muktadir as saying.
The Bangladeshi minister described India as his country’s second-largest trading partner after China, highlighting the importance of the Indian market and the longstanding commercial relationship between the two nations.
Muktadir also revealed that a proposal had been made to establish a joint task force involving businesses from India and Bangladesh. The proposed mechanism is expected to provide a platform for businesses from both countries to identify challenges, explore opportunities and strengthen commercial cooperation.
Digital infrastructure also emerged as an important area of discussion. Muktadir said improving digital connectivity and infrastructure could help create fresh investment opportunities, strengthen business-to-business links and accelerate bilateral trade.
He expressed hope that the Indian High Commissioner’s initiative would provide fresh momentum to economic cooperation and contribute to strengthening broader bilateral relations.
Trivedi, meanwhile, stressed the importance of maintaining cooperation despite differences that may exist between the two countries. He noted that people in both India and Bangladesh share aspirations for development, prosperity and a better future.
“Both countries need to work together, particularly for the future of the younger generation,” he said.
The Indian High Commissioner also emphasised that India and Bangladesh are independent and sovereign nations and that bilateral relations should be based on equality and mutual respect.
“Both countries are independent and sovereign nations, with neither country being bigger or smaller than the other,” Trivedi said, underscoring the importance of an equal partnership.
He further described economic cooperation as a key pillar for strengthening bilateral relations. According to Trivedi, a stronger economic partnership could create the foundation for expanded cooperation across several other sectors.
The latest discussions come as both countries seek to maintain and expand economic engagement while addressing practical barriers affecting cross-border commerce. Strengthening trade infrastructure, improving connectivity and increasing private-sector participation could provide new opportunities for businesses and deepen economic interdependence between India and Bangladesh.
