Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday hosted an official dinner for BIMSTEC leaders where Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met each other, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told UNB.

The Thai prime minister welcomed the BIMSTEC leaders and exchanged pleasantries at the Grand Ballroom of Shangri-La Hotel. She made a brief remark at the dinner which was followed by a toast.

Dr Yunus posed for a photograph with Thai PM Shinawatra at the official dinner.

He arrived here in the Thai capital on Thursday to join the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit.

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A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the chief adviser and his entourage arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok at 12 pm (Thailand), the deputy press secretary told UNB.

Dr Yunus was received by Thai Minister in Attendance Jiraporn Sindhuprai, he said.

Dr Yunus is scheduled to hold a number of meetings with BIMSTEC leaders on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit on Friday, including meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Thai Prime Minister.

In his pre-departure statement from India, Modi said he will meet the leaders of the BIMSTEC countries to discuss ways for strengthening collaboration, keeping the interests of people in mind.

"I look forward to meeting the leaders of the BIMSTEC countries and engaging productively to further strengthen our collaboration with the interests of our people in mind," Modi said as he began his visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka on Thursday.

This will be the biggest India-Bangladesh diplomatic development since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster and formation of an interim government led by Dr Yunus on August 8 last year if Dr Yunus and Modi hold talks on Friday, observers say.

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Secretary General of BIMSTEC Indra Mani Pandey will also meet the chief adviser.

Thailand’s Minister for Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) Varawut Silpa-archa and Thailand's Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office Jiraporn Sindhuprai called on Dr Yunus on Thursday.

Bangladesh sees this year's BIMSTEC Summit, scheduled to be held on April 4, "very important" for the country as it will assume the chairmanship of the grouping for the next two years.

Dhaka also thinks the summit will provide them with an opportunity to present a "just and inclusive" Bangladesh in South and Southeast Asia, officials said this week.

Prior to this year’s BIMSTEC Summit, the chief adviser delivered a keynote speech titled “BIMSTEC Young Generation Forum: Where the Future Meets” on Thursday.

The theme of the 6th summit, which is being held three years after the 5th summit (Virtual, Colombo, 30 March 2022), is “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC”.

The summit, which aims at fostering collaboration among the member states to address the shared security and developmental challenges, will provide a new impetus to the efforts underway to realise the goal of a prosperous, resilient and open BIMSTEC, according to the BIMSTEC Secretariat.

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Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin said the summit will further "strengthen and deepen" the relationship between Bangladesh and other BIMSTEC member states and will play an important role in advancing regional peace and development.

"It goes without saying that this 6th BIMSTEC Summit is a new step for the new Bangladesh in the regional arena through BIMSTEC," he said, hoping that the 6th BIMSTEC Summit will be successful.