India Clarifies Bangladesh PM’s BRICS Invite
India has clarified that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received two separate invitations from New Delhi — one for a bilateral visit and another to attend the BRICS Summit in his capacity as chair of BIMSTEC. The clarification followed differing descriptions from Dhaka over the nature of the summit invitation.
India Clarifies Tarique Rahman BRICS Invitation
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Rahman had initially been invited for a bilateral visit following his assumption of office.
India subsequently invited him to participate in the BRICS Summit outreach session as the current chair of BIMSTEC. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent Rahman a letter inviting him to attend the summit in that capacity.
New Delhi maintained that the bilateral invitation and the BRICS invitation were separate engagements.
Bangladesh Disputed Nature of BRICS Invite
Bangladesh had earlier argued that Rahman was not invited to the summit specifically as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, saying the invitation was extended to him because he was serving as BIMSTEC chair.
Dhaka indicated that it preferred Rahman’s first visit to India to take place as a dedicated bilateral engagement rather than as part of a multilateral summit.
Rahman subsequently did not attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
Bilateral India-Bangladesh Visit Remains Open
India has maintained that the separate invitation for an official bilateral visit remains valid, while Bangladesh has indicated that such an engagement could take place at a mutually convenient time.
The clarification comes as both governments continue efforts to manage India-Bangladesh relations following a period of diplomatic strain.
Several bilateral issues remain under discussion, making any future meeting between Modi and Rahman significant for the direction of ties between the neighbouring countries.
