Modi invites PM Tarique to attend BRICS Summit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September as a special guest, signalling the growing importance of Bangladesh in regional and global diplomacy.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam confirmed the invitation on Thursday while speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have received the invitation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it has been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office,” she said.
The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September. Although Bangladesh is not a member of the bloc, Modi has extended a special invitation to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to participate in the summit.
The invitation comes amid Bangladesh’s increasing engagement with BRICS and follows Beijing’s public endorsement of Dhaka’s aspiration to join the grouping.
During Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s official visit to China in June, the two countries issued a joint communiqué in which Beijing explicitly welcomed Bangladesh’s aspiration to participate in BRICS and pledged its strong support for the country’s bid to join the bloc.
China also reiterated its support for Bangladesh to play a greater role in multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, while backing Bangladesh’s participation in BRICS and its application to become a partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Responding to a question about Bangladesh’s concerns over the ongoing student protests in India, where many Bangladeshi nationals are currently residing, Shama Obaid said Dhaka hoped peace and stability would prevail across the region.
“As a democratic country and a democratic government, we want peace and stability to prevail in our region,” she said.
“We hope that India, as the world’s largest democracy, will address the concerns of its people and move swiftly towards resolving the situation.”
Asked about media reports claiming that President Mohammed Shahabuddin had spoken by telephone with ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his visit to London in May for medical treatment, the state minister said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not yet received any specific information from the Bangladesh mission in London.
“We have not received any concrete information on the matter so far,” she said.
“If the reports are found to be true, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will investigate the issue, and the government will also conduct an inquiry.”
The BRICS alliance has evolved into one of the world’s most influential economic and geopolitical groupings.
Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, it has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia as full members.
The expanded bloc now represents nearly half of the world’s population, more than one third of the world’s landmass and almost 40 per cent of global gross domestic product, significantly enhancing its economic and political influence.
BRICS seeks to strengthen cooperation among emerging economies by promoting multilateral trade, encouraging greater use of local currencies in cross border transactions and supporting development financing through institutions such as the New Development Bank.
The grouping has also introduced a Partner Country framework that includes countries such as Cuba, Bolivia, Belarus, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Nigeria.
Bangladesh’s invitation to the New Delhi summit is expected to provide Dhaka with an opportunity to deepen engagement with BRICS leaders as it pursues closer cooperation with emerging economies and advances its long term ambition of joining the bloc.
