Diplomacy
Invitation from Delhi to BRICS Summit; Dhaka yet to decide
According to several current and former senior Bangladeshi diplomats, public perceptions of Dhaka–Delhi relations following the 2024 mass uprising have not changed significantly.
India has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC, to attend the Outreach Session of the BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi next September. However, Bangladesh has not yet made a final decision on whether it will accept the invitation and participate in the summit.
A high-level government source told Prothom Alo last Monday that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may take a decision after consulting Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman. The foreign minister returned to Dhaka on Tuesday morning after visits to the United States, the Philippines, and the Maldives.
According to diplomatic analysts, Bangladesh’s participation in the BRICS Outreach Session is not merely a matter of attending a multilateral meeting. For several years, Bangladesh has expressed interest in becoming a member of BRICS and has sought the support of existing member states.
On 23 July, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told journalists that the invitation letter addressed to the prime minister had been received from India by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had already been forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi said that on 14 July, India sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
Through this, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, as the current chair of BRICS, to attend the Outreach Session of the 18th BRICS Summit, to be held in New Delhi on 12–13 September.
BRICS is a grouping of emerging economies, while BIMSTEC is a regional cooperation organisation of countries in the Bay of Bengal region.
The BRICS Outreach Session typically allows the participation of leaders from selected non-member countries and regional organisations. BRICS currently comprises 11 member states: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
According to diplomatic analysts, Bangladesh’s participation in the BRICS Outreach Session is not merely a matter of attending a multilateral meeting. For several years, Bangladesh has expressed interest in becoming a member of BRICS and has sought the support of existing member states.
Broader geopolitical realities may also be a factor in the government’s consideration of whether the prime minister should attend the BRICS Outreach Session.
China and Russia have already expressed support for Bangladesh’s membership. At the same time, given the current state of Dhaka–Delhi relations, the possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit is also being given serious consideration.
Bangladesh has been regularly invited to the BRICS Outreach Session since 2023. It participated in the outreach events held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2023 and Kazan, Russia, in 2024. However, Bangladesh did not take part in the Outreach Session held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2025.
According to diplomatic sources in New Delhi, most leaders of BRICS member countries are expected to attend this year’s summit. As a result, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may have opportunities to exchange views with the leaders of several important countries, including China and Russia, on the sidelines of the multilateral forum.
Speaking about this, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, foreign affairs adviser to the former interim government, told Prothom Alo that Bangladesh has been interested in joining BRICS for several years.
Bangladesh–India relations have not progressed at the pace that had been expected after the February election.
Considering that, he stated, the prime minister should participate in the Outreach Session. At the same time, it could provide an opportunity for what may be the first meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the election.
He believes Bangladesh should make use of the opportunities offered by this multilateral forum.
Modi’s invitation for the BIMSTEC chair
Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi said that in his invitation letter, Narendra Modi noted that this year’s summit carries special significance as it marks the 20th anniversary of BRICS.
Held under the theme “Building Foundations for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainable Development,” the summit will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation through people-centred development and the principle of “Humanity First.” It will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on important regional and global contemporary issues.
Narendra Modi expressed hope that Tarique Rahman’s participation as the current chair of BIMSTEC would further enrich the discussions during the BRICS Outreach Session.
The Indian prime minister also expressed his interest in meeting and exchanging views with Tarique Rahman on the sidelines of the summit.
It may be noted that Bangladesh has held the chairmanship of BIMSTEC since April 2025.
At the government’s regular press briefing at the Secretariat yesterday, Tuesday, where various issues were discussed, a question was raised about whether Bangladesh would participate in the BRICS Outreach Session.
In response, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Zahed Ur Rahman said Bangladesh is not a member of BRICS but has been invited as an observer. Therefore, the government will decide whether the prime minister will attend. If he does, there will be opportunities to hold meetings with many leaders. However, no decision has yet been made.
He also said he was not aware of any preliminary discussions on the matter.
Uneasy relations, yet scope for dialogue
According to several current and former senior Bangladeshi diplomats, public perceptions of Dhaka–Delhi relations following the 2024 mass uprising have not changed significantly.
They believe that during the Awami League government’s tenure, a large section of the Bangladeshi public did not view bilateral relations as being people-centred. Although expectations for positive progress in bilateral ties emerged after the February election, those expectations have not been reflected in reality.
Continued attempts by India to push people across the border, various comments by Indian political leaders regarding Bangladesh, and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent remarks in an interview with Reuters expressing her desire to return from India and resume politics have all contributed to the government’s cautious approach towards the future of Dhaka–Delhi relations, according to diplomatic circles.
International relations analysts say that the trajectory of Bangladesh’s relations with the United States during the interim government has continued after the election.
As a result, broader geopolitical realities may also be a factor in the government’s consideration of whether the prime minister should attend the BRICS Outreach Session.
At the same time, if a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes place on the sidelines of the summit in New Delhi, the government is also likely to consider how such a meeting may be received politically and by public opinion in Bangladesh.
M Humayun Kabir, former Bangladeshi ambassador to the United States and president of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), told Prothom Alo that Bangladesh–India relations have not progressed at the pace that had been expected after the February election.
In his view, the BRICS Summit provides an important opportunity for the first meeting between the prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries, and India is also keen to make use of that opportunity.