There were talks that a meeting could be held between Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit to be held in Thailand next month. However, the Indian media Hindustan Times, citing several sources, has ruled out that possibility.
Hindustan Times reported on Friday that three sources, on condition of anonymity, said that the possibility of a meeting between Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Narendra Modi is very low.
The BIMSTEC summit is scheduled to be held in Bangkok on April 3 and 4. Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Narendra Modi will attend the summit as representatives of BIMSTEC member countries.
Foreign Affairs Advisor to the interim government Towhid Hossain said that a request has been made for a meeting between Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit.
However, India is unable to keep that request. Three officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity, “Currently, the bilateral relations between the two countries are not conducive to holding a meeting between the top leaders of the two countries.”
A source said, “Since the leaders participating in the conference will participate in the same meeting several times, the possibility of the two leaders meeting each other and exchanging greetings cannot be ruled out. However, there is no possibility of a formal meeting beyond this.”
Another source said, “Two or three advisors to the interim government of Bangladesh are making offensive statements against India almost every day. Such a situation is not conducive to a meeting.”
Earlier, Indian news agency ANI quoted Foreign Affairs Advisor Towhid Hossain as saying that a bilateral meeting could take place between the interim government’s principal advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit to be held in Bangkok. Bangladesh has already initiated diplomatic contacts with India on this issue.
The 6th BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Thailand from April 2 to 4. The Chief Advisor will go to Bangkok on April 3 to attend the meeting. He is scheduled to return to Dhaka on April 4 after the summit.
