Formal Modi-Yunus meet unlikely at Bimstec summit

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and head of Bangladesh’s interim government Mohammad Yunus are set to attend the summit of the regional grouping being held in Bangkok during April 3-4.

Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain confirmed on Thursday that Dhaka has made a formal request for a meeting on the margins of the summit. This will be the first time that Modi and Yunus will be attending the same multilateral event.

The current state of the bilateral relationship is not conducive to a meeting between the top leadership of the two countries, three people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The grounds have not been prepared for such a meeting, especially given the friction and acrimony in ties, they added.“An encounter or exchange of pleasantries cannot be ruled out as all the leaders attending the summit will be in each other’s company on several occasions, but nothing more is expected,” one of the people said.

“A formal meeting looks difficult, especially when there is a fresh barrage against India from some member of the interim government in Dhaka almost on a daily basis. These conditions are not conducive to a meeting,” a second person said.

On Thursday, Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Hossain told ANI: “We have made a diplomatic approach to India to hold a bilateral meeting between our two leaders at the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit.”