Prime Minister Not to Attend BRICS Summit in India
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not be attending the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Humayun Kabir confirmed the matter to the media, stating that Dhaka is dissatisfied with the manner in which the invitation was extended. He added, however, that a bilateral visit by the Bangladesh head of government to India may still take place.
According to the BNP media cell, Mr. Kabir stated that no representative from Bangladesh will attend the upcoming BRICS summit in India. He made these remarks to reporters on Thursday (August 10) on the sidelines of an international seminar on the Rohingya issue at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
He explained that PM Tarique Rahman was invited to the BRICS summit in his capacity as the chairman of BIMSTEC, not as the PM of Bangladesh. He further noted that PM Tarique Rahman will undertake a bilateral visit to India once a favorable environment is created.
Speculation surrounding PM Tarique Rahman’s BRICS visit has been ongoing for the past few days. India had repeatedly stated that it had no updated confirmation regarding the Bangladesh PM’s participation. The 18th BRICS summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
Although Bangladesh is not a member of BRICS, India extended an invitation to the PM to attend the summit’s outreach session in his capacity as the chairman of BIMSTEC. However, the PM is ultimately declining the invitation, even though Mr. Kabir stated that a bilateral visit to India remains a possibility.
