India, Sept. 22 -- India on Tuesday formally approved the appointment of Bangladesh foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam as the next high commissioner to New Delhi, people familiar with the matter said, against the backdrop of efforts by both sides to reset bilateral relations.

Siam, a career diplomat who joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995, will replace Riaz Hamidullah in New Delhi in the coming weeks. Hamidullah has been posted as Bangladesh's new permanent representative to the UN in Geneva.

The agrement, or formal consent sought from India for Siam's posting, was handed over to the foreign ministry in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, the people said on condition of anonymity. The completion of the process ended speculation in some ...