New Delhi has formally invited Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India to attend the BRICS summit to be held in New Delhi in September. The invitation came from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and has already reached Dhaka, the foreign ministry said.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed gave the information while speaking to journalists at the foreign ministry on Thursday.
“The formal invitation has come to our foreign ministry. We have contacted the Prime Minister’s Office and sent it on,” she said.
The 18th BRICS summit will be held in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on September 12 and 13. Although Bangladesh is not a BRICS member, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited to attend as a specially invited country, diplomatic sources said.
Asked whether the prime minister would attend, Shama Obaed said the matter was under consideration at the Prime Minister’s Office and no decision had yet been announced.
The state minister also faced questions at the briefing about the current situation in India. She said Bangladesh favours maintaining peace and stability in South Asia, and that Dhaka expects India, as a democratic country, to play the role needed to resolve its people’s problems.
She also spoke about the possible Dhaka visit on July 30 by Sergio Gor, the US special envoy for South and Central Asia. Shama Obaed said relations between Bangladesh and the United States are strengthening under the current government, and the government hopes the coming visit will advance bilateral relations, particularly trade and economic cooperation.
The state minister also said the foreign ministry has no specific information on the various media reports about the president, and that the government would carry out the necessary investigation if any information proved true.
Replying to a question on the passport downgrade, Shama Obaed said the standard of Bangladesh’s passport has not fallen. The foreign, home and expatriates’ welfare ministries are working jointly to resolve visa-related problems in various countries, and efforts are also under way to address issues such as illegal migration and the use of forged documents.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report