National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman will head the Bangladesh delegation to the 7th NSA-level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), a regional forum, in New Delhi, India.

The CSC conference, bringing together five countries from the Indian Ocean region, will take place in Delhi from 19 to 20 November.

The government made the decision to send Khalilur Rahman on a two-day visit following an invitation from Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to attend the regional forum, according to a statement issued from the Chief Advisor’s Office (CAO) on Friday.

India is hosting the seventh meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave for National Security Advisers.

Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi have confirmed that Khalilur was invited in late October for the CSC.

When asked whether Khalilur Rahman will hold a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, sources said it has not been finalised yet.

“The two NSAs will meet in the CSC. So, there could be a meeting,” an Indian diplomat, claiming not to be named, said.

The CAO stated that the interim government has made regional cooperation a priority and is actively participating in meetings with various regional bodies.

Previously, Adviser Khalilur Rahman led the Bangladeshi delegation to the China–Indian Ocean Region Forum in Kunming, China.

“His participation at the Colombo Security Conclave in New Delhi is a continuation of the interim government’s efforts to foster mutually beneficial regional cooperation,” the CAO said.

Khalilur Rahman’s upcoming visit comes amid tense Bangladesh–India relations, following the ouster of the Awami League government on 5 August last year, when Sheikh Hasina fled to India, where she continues to stay till today.

This will be only the second visit by an adviser from the interim government to India since her ouster. Earlier, in February, Energy Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan visited India to attend India Energy Week.