In a first, India's High Commissioner meets U.S. Ambassador in Dhaka
India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, met U.S. Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, in Dhaka on Friday, in what is being described as the first such meeting between the two envoys on foreign soil. The meeting took place at a city hotel, according to the Dhaka Tribune, which cited diplomatic sources. The Ministry of External Affairs has declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting.
Mr. Gor is currently on his first visit to Bangladesh in his capacity as U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to South and Central Asia. He arrived in Dhaka on Thursday and is scheduled to meet Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday. The visit comes at a time when the United States is increasing its engagement in South Asia, particularly on humanitarian issues.
On Thursday, Mr. Gor met with Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman. In a post on X, he described the meeting as productive and said they discussed strengthening the U.S.-Bangladesh relationship. The Foreign Minister was accompanied by Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir during the meeting.
The U.S. envoy, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen, also visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya near Cox's Bazar on Thursday. He interacted with relief organisations working with the refugees, who number over a million in the world's largest refugee camp. Mr. Gor later wrote on X that the United States has supported the camp and urged partners to increase their contributions.
The meeting between Mr. Trivedi and Mr. Gor is notable because it brings together the senior Indian diplomat stationed in Dhaka and the senior U.S. diplomat accredited to India, but at a location outside both their host countries. The reported meeting underscores the growing diplomatic coordination between India and the United States in the region, though neither government has officially confirmed details.
Mr. Gor is expected to call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday, where issues of bilateral and regional importance are likely to be discussed. The visit is also significant as it comes amid the ongoing Rohingya crisis, with Bangladesh hosting more than a million refugees from Myanmar.
India has also been involved in humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh and Myanmar in connection with the Rohingya situation. The U.S. has repeatedly urged the international community to increase support for the refugees. Diplomats from India and the U.S. have often coordinated on regional matters, but a meeting of this kind in a third country is rare, marking a new chapter in their diplomatic engagement in South Asia.
