Yunus and Modi set for landmark meeting at BIMSTEC Summit

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on 4 April, officials in Dhaka and Delhi confirmed on this afternoon (2 April).

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on 4 April, officials in Dhaka and Delhi confirmed on this afternoon (2 April).

"I can tell you that the meeting will take place," a senior official in Dhaka told UNB without elaborating further.

Meanwhile, New Delhi also hinted positively about the meeting. "It is expected that they'll meet," a source in New Delhi told UNB.

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However, the interim government says there is a high possibility that the two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit.

"We have requested for the meeting officially. We have reasonable grounds to remain hopeful. There is a high possibility to see the meeting," High Representative to the Chief Adviser Khalilur Rahman told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were also present at the media briefing.

This will be their first in-person meeting since the formation of interim government led by Yunus on 8 August ast year.

The chief adviser is scheduled to leave for Bangkok on 3 April to attend the Summit.

The chief adviser will also hold bilateral meetings with other Bimstec leaders on the sidelines.

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.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin recently said the strain that is there in the relations between Bangladesh and India could be overcome if the meeting is held between Prof Yunus and Narendra Modi.

Indian Prime Modi greeted Chief Adviser Yunus and wished the people of Bangladesh on the ocassion of Eid-ul-Fitr, seeking stronger friendship between the two countries.

"May the bonds of friendship among our countries grow stronger," Modi said in his message shared by chief adviser's press wing on Monday night.

As the blessed month of Ramadan comes to a close, Modi said he takes this moment to extend warm greetings and felicitations to Dr Yunus and the people of Bangladesh on the joyous occasion of the festival of Eid al-Fitr.

An opportunity for Bangladesh

Bangladesh sees this year's Bimstec Summit, scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 4 April, "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.

The 6th Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the member States of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) will be preceded by a meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign or External Affairs Ministers on April 3.

Prior to this year's Bimstec Summit, the chief adviser will deliver a keynote speech at the forum titled "BIMSTEC Young Generation Forum: Where the Future Meets" on 3 April.

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.

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.

The foreign secretary participated in the 25th BIMSTEC senior officials' meeting on 2 April.

There is a possibility of signing an agreement on 'Maritime Transport cooperation' between Bimstec member states at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, said the foreign secretary.

This agreement is expected to help enhance regional economic and trade relations by strengthening commercial shipping and maritime transport, he said.

Summit agenda

The summit, the Bimstec headquarters said, has a rich agenda - adoption of the declaration of 6th Bimstec Summit, which will reflect the vision of the leaders as well as their decisions and directives; adoption of the Bangkok Vision 2030.

This is the first vision document which will be adopted by the Leaders. It provides a comprehensive and practical roadmap for future cooperation amongst the Bimstec member States.

Signing of the agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation aims at expanding maritime transport in Bay of Bengal with a view to enhancing transport of cargo as well as people enabling more trade and travel amongst the member States.

Meanwhile, signing of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between BIMSTEC and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and Bimstec and United Nations Office on

Drugs and Crime (UNODC), are part of agenda which will herald a new era of developmental partnerships between Bimstec and these organisations.

Adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the BIMSTEC Mechanisms, which, together with the Charter, lay the foundation of institutional framework for regional cooperation under BIMSTEC; and adoption of the Report of Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of Bimstec are among the agenda.

The Group held six meetings in 2024. It consulted the relevant stakeholders and finalised its Report in September 2024 after extensive deliberations.

The report contains a number of recommendations and the member states have commenced steps aimed at implementing the Report.

In a rapidly evolving and uncertain global political and economic situation, the 6th BimstecSummit will further reinforce the critical role of Bimstec, as the only regional organisation in Bay of Bengal, in forging regional cooperation to enable the member States to deal with their shared security and sustainable development challenges.

Bimstec which brings together five countries from South Asia and two countries from South East Asia, is poised to evolve into a vibrant and dynamic regional organisation.

As Bimstec's highest policymaking body, the Summits play a "pivotal role" in shaping the organization's agenda and work.

Since Bimstec's inception in June 1997, five Summits have been held in Bangkok (2004), New Delhi (2008), Nay Pyi Daw (2014), Kathmandu (2018) and Colombo (2022).

Bimstec comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

It pursues regional cooperation in seven broad sectors: Agriculture & Food Security; Connectivity; Environment & Climate Change; People-to-People Contact; Science, Technology & Innovation; Security; and Trade, Investment & Development.

The cooperation also covers 8 sub-sectors: Blue Economy, Mountain Economy, Energy, Disaster Management, Fisheries & Livestock, Poverty Alleviation, Health, and Human Resource Development.