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Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a crucial meeting with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand, marking their first direct interaction since the leadership change in Dhaka.
The talks come at a delicate time, as diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh have simmered following Yunus’s recent remarks at the Boao Forum in China, where he described India’s Northeast as “landlocked” and dependent on Bangladesh for maritime access. His comments were perceived in India as undermining the region’s growing connectivity and strategic significance.
PM Modi and Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, hold a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
Photo source: XP Division, MEA pic.twitter.com/AydF0LLGfT
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India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar swiftly responded to Yunus’s claims, highlighting that the Northeast is evolving into a vital connectivity hub under the BIMSTEC framework, with expanding networks of roads, rail, and inland waterways.
Bangladesh has recently moved closer to China, signing nine new bilateral agreements and securing a $2.1 billion economic package during Yunus’s visit to Beijing—an alignment that has raised eyebrows in New Delhi.
Sources indicate that Dhaka had formally requested the bilateral meeting with PM Modi. While it was not initially listed in the Indian Prime Minister’s official agenda, both leaders were later seen engaging at the BIMSTEC leaders’ dinner, signaling a possible thaw in ties.
The meeting, though brief, is viewed as a diplomatic step toward stabilizing India-Bangladesh relations, especially in the wake of recent geopolitical shifts in the region.
