New Delhi: There are high chances for a meeting to take place between PM Narendra Modi and Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s Interim Government at the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit.
The BIMSTEC Summit will be hosted in Thailand on September 4 next month. PM Narendra Modi will be representing India on the summit, meanwhile Mohammad Yunus is expected to represent Bangladesh.
As New Delhi-friendly Sheikh Hasina becomes foreign to her own land Bangladesh, possibility remains solid for Modi-Yunus meet up to stabilise India-Bangladesh relationship. Looks like, India and Bangladesh have lot of unsaid discussions left to be done.
Over the recent years, the significance of the multilateral body comprising of India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar has evolved. The reason being, inactivity of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) from 2016 due to India-Pakistan tension.
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Top three concerns of India
The three major concerns of India currently are- the treatment of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, Border with Bangladesh & last but not the least China’s overtures towards South Asian Nations.
Other important concerns
Currently, there is ongoing tension in India as Bangladeshis’ are fleeing. The numbers can even go higher in the coming days. The other concerns are focused on China as it tries to expand its footprints in the Bay of Bengal region now. China already controls ports in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, the concern now remains with Bangladesh’s Dhaka.
The tension remains with Hindu minorites in Bangladesh too who are facing violence there. After Sheikh Hasina was overthrown from PM’s post, the Hindus in Bangladesh are under constant attacks. India is highly concerned about them.
Yunus’ hints on healing rifts with India
In an article for The Economist, Muhammad Yunus wrote, “there will be many opportunities to heal these kinds of rifts and to resume bilateral alliances and close friendships soon”. India is an old friend & trade partner of Bangladesh and has substantial infrastructural investments done there.
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