‘No update’: MEA on PM Modi-Muhammad Yunus meeting at BIMSTEC Summit

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it has no update on the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the upcoming BIMSTEC summit.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly media briefing, “I do not have any update to share at this point in time,” while answering the potential meeting between PM Modi and Yunus on the sidelines of the upcoming BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has formally requested a bilateral meeting between the two leaders. The Foreign Affairs Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Md Touhid Hossain, said, “We have made a diplomatic approach to India to hold a bilateral meeting between our two leaders at the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit.”

The BIMSTEC Summit will take place in Bangkok from April 2 to 4. Under Thailand’s chairmanship, BIMSTEC aims to achieve a “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open” region, known as “PRO BIMSTEC,” by 2030.

The BIMSTEC summit will bring together leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. While PM Modi and Yunus are expected to attend, the likelihood of a formal meeting between them remains uncertain.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained lately, with issues like border disputes, water sharing, and trade agreements. Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 28.

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

Informing about his meeting, Jaishankar said that the talks were focused on the bilateral relationship between the two countries and the 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.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry also issued a statement stating that the two sides discussed various bilateral issues of mutual concern and interests.

Recalling their last meeting on the sidelines of UNGA in September 2024, both noted that since then, the two countries have participated in various bilateral engagements – Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and India at the level of Foreign Secretaries were conducted in Dhaka on 9th December 2024, Energy Adviser of Bangladesh participated at the India Energy Week events in New Delhi on 10-11 February 2025, among others, the statement said.

Both sides also noted that meetings at the level of Directors General of Border Guarding Forces of the two countries are scheduled to be held in New Delhi on February 18-20. They hoped that various border-related issues would be discussed and resolved during the meeting, the statement said.

India and Bangladesh recognized the challenges the two neighbours are facing in terms of bilateral relations and discussed the necessity to work together to address those, the statement said.

Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser emphasised the importance of initiating the discussion for renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty, the statement said. He also highlighted the importance of holding the meeting of the SAARC Standing Committee and requested consideration of the Government of India in this regard. (ANI)