Earlier, PM Modi and Yunus were seated together at the dinner hosted by Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for leaders of the BIMSTEC grouping.
PM Modi meets Yunus: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Banlgadesh’s interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand. This comes as the first official meeting between the top leadership of both countries after the ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were also present during the meeting of both leaders. Notably, Bangladesh is the incoming chair of the BIMSTEC grouping.
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Earlier, PM Modi and Yunus were seated together at the dinner hosted by Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for leaders of the BIMSTEC grouping in Bangkok.
Yunus’ office shared photographs of the Bangladesh Chief Adviser seated next to Modi at Hotel Shangri-La on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
India-Bangladesh relations witnessed decline after Yunus took over
After the interim government headed by Yunus came into power in Bangladesh following the ouster of the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the ties between India and Bangladesh have seen a slump amid Delhi’s concerns over the violence targeting Hindus and a rise of hardline Islamist forces there.
Last week, during his China visit, Yunus urged Beijing to extend its economic influence to Bangladesh, as he also controversially mentioned that India’s northeastern states being landlocked could prove to be an opportunity.
Yunus’ controversial remarks on northeastern states
Yunus stressed that the seven northeastern states of India are a landlocked region and have no way to reach the ocean. He referred to Bangladesh as the “only guardian of the ocean” in the region. He added that this could be a huge opportunity and could be an extension of the Chinese economy.
Notably, his remarks didn’t go down well in India and Bangladesh officials have issued clarification on Yunus’ statement.