UNGA: No Yunus-Modi meeting, foreign minister-level talks likely

There will be no meeting between the interim government’s chief adviser, Dr Muhammad Yunus, and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States.

However, the foreign affairs adviser, Touhid Hossain, is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with the Indian external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, on the occasion.

The foreign adviser made the disclosure at a press conference at the foreign ministry in the afternoon on Saturday.

Dr Yunus is scheduled to depart home for New York on 24 September. Regarding speculations over his meeting with the Indian prime minister, Touhid Hossain told the media, “Their presence in New York will not be simultaneous. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will be departing New York earlier, while chief adviser Dr Yunus will be going there late. Therefore, it seems that there is no possibility of their meeting.”

Regarding a bilateral meeting with the Indian external affairs minister, the foreign adviser said, “The issue of my meeting with S Jaishankar is quite certain. We have to admit that there has been a sort of tension in our relations with India. We cannot deny a problem if we want to solve it.”

He further said, “We will try to ease up tension and facilitate working relations. But dignity and mutual respect should be the basis of the relationship, and we will try in this regard.”

Earlier, the foreign adviser read out a written speech, highlighting that unlike the previous years, the Bangladesh delegation will not comprise more than hundred members and travel on chartered flight. Rather, a delegation has been formed on a limited scale considering relevance.

“To attend high-level meetings aligned with my responsibilities, I will depart for New York two or three days earlier, on a different flight. The chief adviser will stay in New York for three days and fly for Bangladesh on 27 September,” he said.

The foreign adviser also noted that this UNGA session has special significance for Bangladesh, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's membership in the United Nations. To mark the milestone, Bangladesh has organised a high-level reception at the UN headquarters on 24 September, in presence of the chief adviser.

Heads of delegations from various countries, top UN officials, heads of governments from some countries, and leaders of different organisations are expected to participate in the event.

The chief adviser will address the general assembly on 27 September and present details of the recent mass uprising in Bangladesh and his vision for building a state system that is people-centered, welfare-oriented, and dedicated to the public interest.

Other topics likely to be addressed in his speech include Bangladesh's strong position in peacekeeping operations to ensure international peace and security, the effects of climate change, the climate justice, global conflicts, the Rohingya crisis, the challenges faced by developing countries in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the prevention of resource trafficking from developing nations, safe migration, access to basic services for migrants, the sustainable transfer of technology against the backdrop of generative AI, and the issue of Palestine.

The adviser also revealed that the interim government chief is expected to participate in several bilateral meetings, including discussions with the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Pakistan, and Nepal; the president of the European Commission; the secretary general of the United Nations; the US secretary of state; the UN high commissioner for human rights; the president of the World Bank; and the administrator of USAID. They will discuss various issues of mutual interest.

Also, some more meetings might be finalised at the last minute, some of the finalised ones may be omitted due to time constraints.