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Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam is set to become Bangladesh’s next High Commissioner to India after New Delhi formally approved his appointment, according to diplomatic sources.
The approval, known as agrément, was received by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, paving the way for Siam to take up the post in New Delhi in the coming weeks.
Siam, a career diplomat who joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995, will succeed M Riaz Hamidullah, who is being posted as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
Siam has held several senior diplomatic assignments at home and abroad. Before becoming foreign secretary in June 2025, he served for less than a year as Bangladesh’s ambassador to the United States. He previously served as ambassador to Austria from 2023 to 2024 and as Bangladesh’s representative in the Philippines from 2017 to 2021.
He also served as Bangladesh’s first consul general in Milan, assistant high commissioner in Manchester, and in diplomatic assignments in Indonesia and Thailand.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Siam served as chief of protocol, director general of the Europe and European Union wing, and director in the Foreign Secretary’s Office.
Meanwhile, Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, is expected to become the next foreign secretary, according to officials. The planned reshuffle of senior diplomatic positions was first reported in July.
Siam’s appointment in New Delhi comes as Bangladesh and India seek to improve bilateral relations following a period of strained ties after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. The appointment is also taking place against the backdrop of ongoing discussions over former prime minister Hasina’s presence in India and Bangladesh’s request for her return.
The new high commissioner will also have a role in facilitating high-level engagement between Dhaka and New Delhi, including discussions surrounding a possible visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Reports indicate that the two sides have been discussing possible dates for such a visit.
Bangladesh had earlier been invited to participate in the BRICS summit in New Delhi, where India is the current chair of the grouping, but Dhaka decided not to attend. No final decision has yet been announced on a bilateral visit by the prime minister, according to reports.
The appointment of Siam follows India’s earlier decision to send Dinesh Trivedi as its High Commissioner to Bangladesh, adding to the diplomatic changes taking place between the two neighbours.
Siam is expected to oversee efforts to strengthen bilateral engagement and address a range of issues between Bangladesh and India as the two countries seek to rebuild relations.