RICS Summit: No decision yet on Bangladesh PM’s India visit
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Monday said the Government has not yet decided whether Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will travel to New Delhi next month to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit.
He also urged the media to distinguish between two separate invitations extended by India — one for a bilateral visit by the prime minister and another for his participation in the BRICS outreach session in his capacity as chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
“First of all, I am not an astrologer. So, I cannot predict on which exact day it will happen,” the foreign minister told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Secondly, the BIMSTEC invitation was not extended to the prime minister personally. It was addressed to the chairperson of BIMSTEC,” he said.
Dr Khalilur was briefing reporters after Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat.
The foreign minister said Bangladesh had received two invitations from India. One was extended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral visit, while the other was extended to the BIMSTEC chairperson to attend the outreach session of the BRICS Summit.
During his meeting with the prime minister, the Indian high commissioner conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed India’s intention to work with the Government and people of Bangladesh in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.
The two sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations through a people-centric approach.
The high commissioner also paid a courtesy call on Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. Their discussions focused on bilateral relations and areas of common interest, including security cooperation.
Trivedi conveyed India’s willingness to strengthen people-centric cooperation across various areas, based on mutual interest, mutual benefit and mutual sensitivities.
India on August 4 confirmed that it had invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC. The invitation is separate from a bilateral invitation extended to him earlier this year.
“You would be aware that a formal invitation to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India was extended when he assumed office in February 2026,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing in New Delhi.
Regarding the BRICS Summit, Jaiswal said India had separately invited the Bangladesh prime minister, in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC, to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
“The invitation has been extended as per the standard practice being followed in BRICS for the outreach sessions. Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner,” he said.
India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. The summit is expected to focus on global cooperation, trade and sustainable development.
BIMSTEC comprises seven countries in the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Bangladesh assumed the chairmanship of BIMSTEC in April last year for a two-year term, reaffirming its commitment to advancing regional cooperation and development.
