India has not yet responded to Dhaka's request for a meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, early next month.
"No, there has been no response," said Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday (23 March) when asked by a journalist whether there was any response from Delhi regarding the possible meeting of the two leaders.
On Wednesday, Bangladesh approached India through diplomatic channels to arrange a meeting between Dr Yunus and Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.
On 21 March, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that they had no update to share regarding a potential bilateral meeting between the two leaders.
"On the meeting that you asked about, a bilateral meeting, I don't have any update to share at this point in time," said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly briefing in New Delhi when questioned about the likelihood of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chief Adviser Yunus at the summit.
The MEA Spokesperson also highlighted the broad scope of Bangladesh-India relations, noting that both countries remain engaged on multiple fronts, including development cooperation, economic affairs, and connectivity.
Meanwhile, Dr Yunus is set to embark on a two-day visit to Thailand to attend the BIMSTEC Summit, scheduled for 2-4 April in Bangkok.
Thailand is hosting the 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), where Bangladesh will assume the next chairmanship of the organisation, officials confirmed.
Since 30 March 2022, Thailand has held the BIMSTEC Chairmanship, having taken over from Sri Lanka.
BIMSTEC comprises seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey recently stated that the Summit is expected to yield significant outcomes, setting the course for the future of the organisation.
Dr Yunus has reiterated that Bangladesh has always prioritised fostering the best possible relations with India.
He emphasised that the destinies of Bangladesh and India are interlinked and that the two nations cannot be isolated from each other.
"So, we are always encouraging everything to happen in the best possible way," Dr Yunus said in a recent interview with the BBC, adding that misleading narratives should not cloud the strong bilateral ties between the two countries.
The chief adviser reaffirmed that Bangladesh and India share an excellent relationship. "We will continue to do so," he stated, describing India as a valuable business partner of Bangladesh.
