Dhaka, Bangladesh – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government, on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit in Thailand on April 3-4. The main summit day is scheduled for April 4, though the possibility of the meeting between Modi and Yunus is still being explored and has not been officially confirmed.
Modi’s visit to Thailand for the summit comes after it was postponed from its original dates in September last year due to domestic political developments in the host country. India is promoting BIMSTEC as a model regional organization, following the inactivity of SAARC due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have become strained following the removal of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister. Speaking at a public event on Sunday, just days after his meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain in Muscat, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar expressed concern over the interim administration’s hostile approach towards India and violence against minorities. “What is especially concerning is the ongoing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. This impacts our viewpoint, and we have raised our concerns,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar also responded to the Bangladesh government’s public criticism of India, describing it as contradictory and unproductive. “If officials from the interim government keep blaming India for all their problems, some of which are entirely unfounded, it sends a conflicting message. On one hand, they claim to want good relations with us, but on the other, they continuously blame India for their domestic issues. This is a choice they must make,” the external affairs minister stated.
BIMSTEC, which consists of seven member countries—Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal—is being promoted by India as a model regional grouping after SAARC became largely inactive due to tensions between India and Pakistan. The summit is seen as an opportunity to reset the relationship between India and Bangladesh and reduce diplomatic differences.