Bangladesh interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to attend the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in Bangkok, Thailand, from April 2-4.
This gives hope for the first-ever in-person meeting between Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit.
There is still a possibility that the two leaders can meet, taking advantage of the BIMSTEC platform, however, nothing is finalised yet, a Bangladeshi official was quoted as saying by the country’s leading daily, Prothom Alo.
Bangladesh will take as the next chair of BIMSTEC at the summit.
“As the chair, Bangladesh will have the opportunity to lead BIMSTEC, take initiatives for cooperation in different sectors by working together in tandem with all the member states, and this will be an opportunity for Bangladesh to re-demonstrate its commitment to the world,” BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey was quoted as saying by Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Dhaka Tribune.
Thailand is set to host the summit in Bangkok. BIMSTEC is a regional organisation that was established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the regional grouping expanded and came to be known as BIMSTEC and comprises seven member states with the admission of Myanmar in December 1997 and Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004.
BIMSTEC is often considered an alternative regional bloc to the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). With SAARC in a dormant stage, India initiated the idea of propelling BIMSTEC to enhance regional cooperation.
India’s interest in BIMSTEC aligns with PM Modi’s Act East Policy, which is a diplomatic initiative to enhance economic, strategic and cultural relations across Southeast Asia.
The anticipated meeting between Yunus and PM Modi assumes significance due to the rapid downslide in bilateral ties between the two South Asian neighbours after the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through an orchestrated coup on August 5 last year.
Hasina has since been taking refuge in India, and the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, is in charge of the nation. This has led to the Indo-Bangla relationship rapidly nosedived.
The continuous mob violence, vandalism, and persecution of Hindus under the interim regime in Bangladesh witnessed further stalemate in the relations.
Amidst frosty ties, the BIMSTEC summit is seen as a possibility to reset the relationship between India and Bangladesh and reduce diplomatic differences.
However, all will depend on how the interim government works towards the restoration of democracy and safeguarding the rights of minorities.
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