Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Mohammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, around noon on Friday, the last day of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, sources have told StratNewsGlobal. The meeting will be an opportunity to halt the current downslide in the relationship.
Modi is expected to seek reassurances on the treatment of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, given rising incidents of violence against them.
They may also discuss the broader regional security landscape. Yunus’s remarks during his visit to China—that Bangladesh could offer economic access to India’s landlocked northeastern states—have not been well received in India. It may be an opportunity to soothe any Indian ruffled feathers.
There will be an informal meeting of all seven heads of states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand) later on Thursday. Bangladesh incidentally, is scheduled to take over as chair of BIMSTEC.
Modi’s meeting with Myanmar leader Gen Min Aung Llaing will be the first since the 2021 military coup plunged the country into a civil war. The relationship between the two countries is delicate although India continues to engage with the military junta.
But its dependence on China is worrying, and as the civil war drags on with no peace in sight, India’s concerns over the security of its northeastern borders is growing.
India was first responder when the earthquake hit four days back. Currently it has a field hospital up and running in Mandalay besides rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force.
The BIMSTEC summit is also an opportunity to touch base with Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Although he took over as prime minister last July, Oli is yet to merit an invitation to visit India.
South Block was not amused by his attempts to force India to negotiate on his country’s claims to the 300-sq km plus area called Kalapani in Uttarakhand.
Add to that, Oli tried, again unsuccessfully, to push India to permit flights from Pokhara International Airport and Gautam Budh Airport at Bhairwaha. Both airports are Chinese-built and pose security issues for India, yet Oli preferred to ignore India’s concerns.
This may be an opportunity for Oli to make amends since there are common interests in trade, infrastructure, and regional stability.
