United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit on Friday - which is being viewed as potentially the most significant development in Dhaka-Delhi relations since the July Uprising in Bangladesh. This will be the first-ever in-person meeting between the two South Asian leaders since the formation of Bangladesh's interim government last August 8, following the fall of the previous government three days earlier. 6th BIMSTEC Summit Friday; Bangladesh to assume chairmanship for next 2 years Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder confirmed to UNB on Thursday that the meeting will be held around 12pm (Bangkok time, 10am in Bangladesh). Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin recently said the strain in the relationship between Bangladesh and India can be overcome if a meeting is held between Prof Yunus and Narendra Modi. This will be the biggest India-Bangladesh diplomatic development since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, and subsequent flight to Delhi (where she remains), observers say. BIMSTEC: Dr Yunus and Modi join official dinner, meet each other Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday hosted an official dinner for BIMSTEC leaders where Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Modi met each other, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Azad told UNB. Earlier, Bangladesh approached India through the diplomatic channel to arrange a meeting between Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the Summit. Dr Yunus is also scheduled to hold a number of meetings with BIMSTEC leaders on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit on Friday, including meetings with 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. Society collapses due to wealth, power concentration: Dr Yunus During Eid, Indian Prime Minister Modi greeted Chief Adviser Dr Yunus and wished the people of Bangladesh, seeking stronger friendship between the two countries. "May the bonds of friendship among our countries grow stronger," Modi said in his message.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin on Tuesday said Dhaka is ready to see a bilateral meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit and is expecting a positive response from Delhi. He said the strain that is there in the relations between Bangladesh and India could be overcome if the bilateral meeting is held between Prof Yunus and Narendra Modi. "On our part, we are ready (for the talks). We will be waiting," Jashim Uddin told reporters at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Secretary said Bangladesh is giving much importance to the meeting as Dhaka believes the meeting will help take forward the relations. Earlier, Indian External Affairs S Jaishankar said India was considering the meeting between Prof Yunus and Narendra Modi. Anyone can criticise the interim govt now, and it's a success: Foreign Adviser On Wednesday, Bangladesh approached India through the diplomatic channel to arrange a meeting between Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming Bimstec Summit in Bangkok. On March 21, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said they have no update to share regarding a likely bilateral meeting between the two leaders. “On the meeting that you asked, a bilateral meeting, I don't have any update to share at this point in time,” said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a weekly briefing in New Delhi when a journalist wanted to know whether there was a likelihood of Prime Minister Modi meeting Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Prof Yunus on the sidelines of the Summit. Dr Yunus to join BIMSTEC Young Gen Forum as keynote speaker The MEA Spokesperson also said Bangladesh-India relationship is a wide canvas and they have been engaged with Bangladesh on several issues - development cooperation, economic matters and on issues of connectivity. Dr Yunus is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Thailand to attend the BIMSTEC Summit, to be held on April 2-4 in Bangkok. Thailand will host the 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) and Bangladesh will take responsibility as the next chair of Bimstec there, officials said. Thailand has taken over the Bimstec Chairmanship from Sri Lanka since 30 March 2022. Bimstec consists of seven member countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Bimstec Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey recently said the Summit will have some significant outcomes. "It will set a direction for the future of Bimstec," he said. Dr Yunus said Dhaka has always insisted that Bangladesh’s relationship with India will be the best relationship ever. Because, he explained, the fate of Bangladesh and India is tied together and they cannot be isolated from each other. “So, we are always encouraging everything to happen in the best possible way,” Dr Yunus told BBC in a most recent interview, adding that the clouds due to some fake news are not part of the relationship that the two countries enjoy. The Chief Adviser thinks Bangladesh and India have an excellent relationship. “We will continue to do it,” he said, describing India as a good business partner of Bangladesh.