Bangladesh PM to Skip BRICS Summit

Bangladesh has clarified that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Delhi. Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir said on Thursday that the Prime Minister had not received an invitation to attend the summit. The clarification ends the uncertainty surrounding Rahman’s proposed India visit. The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on this month 12 and 13. Kabir said Rahman was invited in his capacity as BIMSTEC chairperson rather than as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, and questioned the need to attend without an official invitation.

Kabir said Rahman’s first visit to India should not be limited to a multilateral event and should instead take place as a bilateral visit at a suitable time and under conditions of mutual respect. He added that there was no urgency for the visit. BIMSTEC is a regional grouping formed to promote cooperation among countries around the Bay of Bengal in areas such as trade, economy, security and connectivity. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand are its member states, with Bangladesh currently serving as chair.