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Published : 02 Apr 2025, 07:38 PM
Dhaka sees a "strong possibility" of a bilateral meeting between Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, according to Khalilur Rahman, the chief advisor's high representative for Rohingya issues and priority affairs.
Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy on Wednesday, Khalilur said: "We have officially requested this meeting. We have valid reasons to be hopeful. There is a strong possibility that this meeting will take place."
The sixth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit, which brings together seven nations from the Bay of Bengal region for economic cooperation, is scheduled to start on Apr 4.
Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin represented Bangladesh at the senior officials' meeting of BIMSTEC member states on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain is set to attend the ministerial meeting on Thursday.
Amid a phase of "stagnation" in bilateral relations, the interim government in Dhaka has sent a formal request to New Delhi for a meeting between Yunus and Modi during the summit.
However, India has yet to respond to the request, and Modi's publicly released itinerary does not mention a bilateral meeting with Yunus.
Both leaders will travel to Thailand for the summit, where Dhaka has reiterated its interest in a meeting through official communication.
The interim government believes that such a meeting could pave the way for overcoming the impasse in bilateral ties.
At a press conference on Mar 25, Foreign Secretary Jashim said: "We consider any high-level meeting with any country to be important. Given the current state of our relationship with India, we view this meeting with great significance.
"If the meeting takes place, we believe there is a possibility of overcoming the stagnation in our bilateral relations."
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power on Aug 5, 2024, following a student and public uprising.
On the same day, she left for India.
Three days later, the Yunus-led interim government took charge.
Despite two previous opportunities, Yunus and Modi have not met since the change in government.
The possibility of a meeting during the BIMSTEC summit has been under discussion.
Yunus will travel to Bangkok from Dhaka on Apr 3 to attend the BIMSTEC summit the following day.
Following the senior officials' meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Jashim reiterated Dhaka's stance on the Yunus-Modi meeting.
"We have approached the Indian side for this meeting, and we are awaiting a positive response," he said.
When asked by an Indian journalist about the matter, Jashim said: "We have made a request from our side. Of course, we hope that the meeting will take place."
At this summit, Bangladesh is set to assume the chairmanship of BIMSTEC.
High Representative Khalilur has emphasised the need to take "practical steps" to advance regional cooperation under Dhaka's leadership.
"Regional alliances bring countries together to tackle challenges. Connectivity is a crucial issue in our region, and regional cooperation is essential to address it,” he said.
"Moreover, the ongoing instability in the global economy cannot be managed single-handedly by any country, especially smaller nations.
"By working together, the likelihood of resolving such issues increases. We must remain optimistic. While BIMSTEC has not left a significant footprint over the past 25 years, this time we have identified specific focused areas. Our efforts will be directed towards advancing these areas with realistic measures," he added.
