Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may not attend the BRICS summit in Delhi as foreign affairs minister Humaiun Kobir reportedly said that he was not invited to the summit and the invitation was instead extended to the BIMSTEC Chair.
“How shall we go? Has anyone from the Bangladesh government been invited? Our prime minister was not invited. Who told you that our Prime Minister was invited? The BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Chair was invited.” Kobir was quoted as saying by Bangladeshi news outlet The Daily Star.
BRICS-host India has invited Rahman to attend the summit's outreach session in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC, news agency PTI reported. BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
Kobir further added that the government is working to arrange a bilateral visit to India when the ‘timing is conducive.’ Notably, Rahman was expected to be in India for a three-day official visit from August 23rd. That visit has been postponed. The reasons behind it — and what has filled the vacuum since — say a great deal about where India-Bangladesh ties stand today.
Earlier on Tuesday, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi that there was no update to share on any confirmation from Dhaka on the Bangladeshi PM's participation in the BRICS summit.
Bangladesh's remark on the ‘PM not being invited’ to the summit comes amid strained ties with India following New Delhi's decision to provide political asylum to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina , who fled to the country after her ouster in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.
The BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13 as India is set to host leaders including the presidents of Russia and Iran for a BRICS summit on Saturday. The summit will be guided by the official theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability".
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
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