India, Feb. 6 -- Bangladesh's new foreign minister Hasan Mahmud is expected to request the Indian government to ensure the steady supply of essential and food items during the month of Ramzan and discuss future areas of cooperation during his visit to New Delhi, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Mahmud is visiting India during February 6-9 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. This will be Mahmud's first bilateral foreign trip since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina surprised Bangladesh's political circles by choosing the Awami League veteran for the post of foreign minister.

Besides meeting Jaishankar on Wednesday, Mahmud is expected to hold talks with commerce minister Piyush Goyal, the people cited above...