PM Modi meets Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, their first face-to-face meeting since the collapse of Bangladesh’s former PM Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Notably, PM Modi is in Bangkok for the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, where he was received by Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra at the Government House.

The leaders also observed a minute of silence for the victims of the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand.

In a post on X, he said, “With fellow BIMSTEC leaders at the Summit being held in Bangkok, Thailand. We reaffirm our commitment to boosting cooperation across diverse sectors. May our efforts bring a positive difference in people’s lives.”

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi met with the Senior General of Myanmar, Aung Hlaing, to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.

In a post on X, PM Modi stated, “Met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. Once again, expressed condolences on the loss of lives and damage of property in the wake of the recent earthquake. India is doing whatever is possible to assist our sisters and brothers of Myanmar in this critical time. We also discussed bilateral relations between India and Myanmar, particularly in sectors like connectivity, capacity building, infrastructure development and more.”

Prime Minister Modi and his Thailand counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra held bilateral talks on Thursday. They discussed ways to strengthen further political exchanges, defence and security partnerships, and strategic engagement between the two countries.

They also underlined the need to enhance connectivity, health, science and technology, start-up, innovation, digital, education, culture and tourism collaborations.

The 6th BIMSTEC Summit is set to take place on Friday, marking a significant regional engagement between India and its neighbouring countries in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) group.