India on Tuesday clarified that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received two separate invitations from New Delhi — one for a bilateral visit and another to attend the BRICS Summit in his capacity as chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two invitations were issued independently. His statement contradicted Dhaka’s recent assertion that Rahman had not been invited to the BRICS Summit.
“We had invited the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on a bilateral visit, and subsequently, he was invited for the BRICS Summit as chair of BIMSTEC. So, he had received two invitations, one on the bilateral side and the other for the BRICS Summit as well,” Jaiswal said on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Had Earlier Said Rahman Was Not Invited
India’s clarification comes days after Bangladesh said that Rahman would not attend the BRICS Summit because he had not received an invitation to participate in the gathering.
Dhaka had said last Thursday that the invitation was extended to the chair of BIMSTEC rather than to Rahman in his capacity as Bangladesh’s prime minister.
The two-day BRICS Summit, hosted by India in New Delhi, concluded on Sunday. According to the Indian side, Rahman had already received a separate invitation for a bilateral visit in February, followed later by the invitation to attend the BRICS Summit as BIMSTEC chair.
Fresh Tensions Surface in India-Bangladesh Relations
The exchange comes at a time when relations between India and Bangladesh have seen some friction.
On Sunday, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said Dhaka needed to move away from what he described as an excessive focus on India and work towards resetting bilateral relations.
“We have to get out of the India fascination. India is just another country, and Bangladesh wants good bilateral relations with it,” Kabir said.
Responding to a question, he added: “Breakfast in India, lunch in India, dinner in India — then when will you eat your own food?”
Rahman to Attend UN General Assembly in New York
Kabir also said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to travel to New York on September 21 to participate in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to the minister, Rahman is expected to remain in New York until September 26.