Dhaka, Oct. 5 -- State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on Monday expressed optimism that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will pay a bilateral visit to India at a convenient time, stressing that the Prime Minister has never ruled out visiting the country through a proper bilateral framework.

"To maintain relations with another country, bilateral engagement is required. We will do it directly. The visit will be bilateral, and we will talk," Kobir told reporters after delivering his speech at the Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka.

Kobir said there were challenges in Bangladesh-India relations but expressed optimism that they could be addressed through dialogue.

"There are challenges, but we believe those can be overcome through...