Will PM Modi and Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus meet for bilateral talks at BIMSTEC summit? ‘No update,’ says MEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus will attend the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in Thailand next month. But a formal bilateral meeting between the two leaders is unlikely, according to a latest report.

The sixth summit of the regional grouping is scheduled for April 3-4 in Bangkok, Thailand. A report in Hindustan Times quoting three unnamed people familiar with the matter said the present state of the bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring nations is not conducive to a bilateral meeting between the two leaders.

“An encounter or exchange of pleasantries cannot be ruled out as all the leaders attending the summit will be in each other’s company on several occasions, but nothing more is expected,” the report quoted one person.

No update at this point in time: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that it has no update on the meeting as of now. When asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday: "I do not have any update to share at this point in time."

Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain confirmed on March 20 that Dhaka has made a formal request for a meeting on the margins of the summit.

‘Formal meeting looks difficult’

“A formal meeting looks difficult, especially when there is a fresh barrage against India from some member of the interim government in Dhaka almost on a daily basis. These conditions are not conducive to a meeting,” a second person told Hindustan Times.

The BIMSTEC Summit, which groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, is being held in Bangkok when ties between New Delhi and Dhaka are at an all-time low.

India recently raised concerns about the interim government’s handling of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindus and other minorities, the deteriorating law and order situation, and the release of violent extremists from jail. Bangladesh has raised the presence of former premier Sheikh Hasina in India. Bangladesh has also submitted an extradition request.

In September, Bangladesh made a formal request for a Modi-Yunus bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. PM Modi did not meet Yunus at that time.

Another issue between the two nations is Bangladesh military’s increasing engagement with Pakistan’s armed forces, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Senior ISI officials were part of a Pakistani military delegation that recently visited Bangladesh.

Earlier in February, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Hossain on the sidelines of Indian Ocean Conference in Oman.