PM Modi to meet Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus at BIMSTEC Summit for bilateral talks? What we know so far

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may meet Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus as the neighbouring country in the east has approached New Delhi for arranging a meeting between the two leaders.

According to a report by news agency ANI, Dhaka has approached New Delhi for a meeting between Modi and Yunus in the first week of April at Bangkok.

The two leaders are likely to be in Thailand from April 2-4 to attend the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

“We have made a diplomatic approach to India to hold bilateral meeting between our two leaders at the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit,” Foreign Affairs Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Md Touhid Hossain, was quoted as saying by ANI.

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 28.

Modi-Yunus meet

Earlier last year, Bangladesh had approached India for a bilateral talk between PM Modi and Yunus at the sidelines of an event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Bangladesh had made a formal request in September for the bilateral talks.

“The PM is expected to have some bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York but a meeting with the head of Bangladesh’s interim government isn’t on the schedule,” Hindustan Times had reported quoting sources at the time.

PM Modi, as expected, did not meet Yunus at the time.

However, the new development has given rise to hopes about a bilateral talks this time.

Jaishankar's bilateral talks with 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.

Informing about his meeting, Jaishankar said that the talks were focused on the bilateral relationship between two countries and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

"Met Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain of the Interim Government of Bangladesh. Conversation was focused on our bilateral relationship, as also on (BIMSTEC)," Jaishankar wrote on X.