Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not attend the upcoming BRICS summit in India. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir confirmed this on Thursday. He spoke to journalists in Dhaka.
The BRICS summit will happen in New Delhi this Saturday and Sunday. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received an invitation to the summit’s outreach session. However, the invitation was for his role as chair of BIMSTEC, a regional group. It was not an invitation for him as Bangladesh’s prime minister.
Humaiun Kobir stated that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit India later. This bilateral visit will happen when conditions are favorable for both countries. Both India and Bangladesh have been discussing this visit for some time.
India invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for a bilateral visit after he took office in February. Diplomatic talks then began about a possible trip. However, a specific date was never set.
Tensions increased between the two countries recently. This happened after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke virtually from Delhi on August 5. She joined an event marking the second anniversary of a mass uprising in Bangladesh.
Mr. Kobir stressed the importance of mutual respect in bilateral relations. He said Bangladesh’s first official visit to India should be a bilateral one. It should not be a multilateral event like the BRICS summit. He added that there is no need to rush such high-level exchanges.
The government is also discussing other important issues. Positive talks are continuing on trade between Bangladesh and India. However, no final decisions have been made yet.
Regarding the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, Mr. Kobir said Bangladesh will handle this seriously. The government will always focus on protecting Bangladesh’s national interests.
Preparations are also underway for the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s travel plans for this session will be announced soon.
