Yunus-Modi meeting likely on Friday

Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is likely to hold a meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in Thailand, on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit.

An official of the chief adviser’s office, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the development to Prothom Alo, saying the meeting is going to take place on Friday.

Earlier, the chief advisor’s high representative on the Rohingya issue, Khalilur Rahman, told the media at the Foreign Service Academy, “We have officially requested this meeting and have good reason to hope it will take place.”

Citing sources at the chief adviser’s office, state news agency BSS also reported that the meeting is going to take place.

The BIMSTEC summit is being held in Bangkok from 2 to 4 April, with the chief adviser joining on 3 April, Thursday. Dhaka has formally requested a meeting between Professor Yunus and prime minister Modi on the sidelines of the summit.

Relations between Bangladesh and India have seen tension since the ouster of the Awami League government through a student-people uprising on 5 August last year. Later, Professor Muhammad Yunus formed an interim government for the transitional period.

The leaders of both countries attended the UN general assembly session in September, but could not meet as Yunus arrived in New York after Modi had returned to India.

Since assuming office seven months ago, Professor Yunus has yet to hold direct talks with prime minister Modi. However, Modi extended congratulations to Yunus for being the interim government leader and later sent a letter marking Bangladesh’s independence day on 26 March.

There were reports that no bilateral talks are going to take place on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit. Ruling out the speculations, sources have now indicated that a Yunus-Modi meeting is finally going to take place in Thailand.