Published: 11:56 PM, 22 September 2026
India consents Asad Alam Siam's appointment as Bangladesh HC in New Delhi
The Indian government has formally given its consent to Bangladesh's decision to appoint Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam as the country's next High Commissioner to New Delhi, the Hindustan Times reported.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Indian newspaper reported on Tuesday that a copy of the formal consent, or agrément, for Siam's appointment has been handed over to Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.
The development has ended recent speculation over whether India was withholding its consent to Siam's appointment, according to the Hindustan Times report.
Last week, Indian newspaper The Print reported that India was delaying its formal approval of Siam's appointment as Bangladesh's next High Commissioner to New Delhi.
A career diplomat who joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995, Asad Alam Siam is expected to replace the current High Commissioner, M. Riaz Hamidullah, in New Delhi within the next few weeks.
The government is appointing Riaz Hamidullah as Bangladesh's new Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
Before taking charge as foreign secretary in June 2025, Siam served as Bangladesh's ambassador to the United States for less than a year.
Earlier, he served as Bangladesh's ambassador to Austria from 2023 to 2024 and as ambassador to the Philippines from 2017 to 2021.
Siam has also served as Bangladesh's first consul general in Milan, assistant high commissioner in Manchester, and as a junior diplomat in Indonesia and Thailand.
During his assignments in Bangladesh, he served as head of the Protocol Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, director general of the Europe and European Union Division, and director in the Office of the Foreign Secretary.
The Hindustan Times reported that news of India's approval of Siam's appointment comes as Bangladesh and India are attempting to rebuild their bilateral relationship.
After India appointed former minister and politician Dinesh Trivedi as its High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dhaka decided to send one of its most senior diplomats to serve as Bangladesh's High Commissioner in New Delhi.
Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi became strained during Bangladesh's interim government following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
After the BNP government, led by Tarique Rahman, came to power this year, both countries took initiatives to normalize relations. However, the situation became complicated again following a press conference by Sheikh Hasina in India.
India had invited Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS summit, in addition to extending an invitation for a bilateral visit, in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC. Bangladesh, however, did not attend the BRICS summit. The proposed bilateral visit has also remained stalled.
Against this backdrop, one of Siam's key responsibilities will be to work toward rebuilding relations between the two countries. He will also have a role in preparing for a possible visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
