Bangladesh may skip BRICS Summit in New Delhi

Bangladesh may skip the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September, as Dhaka has yet to confirm whether it will send a representative, diplomatic sources said.

India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the summit in his capacity as chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec).

The invitation is separate from an earlier bilateral invitation extended to Rahman to visit India.

Dhaka has yet to confirm whether Rahman will attend. However, diplomatic sources indicated that Bangladesh may ultimately decide not to send a representative to the summit.

Earlier on Tuesday, UN General Assembly President and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman declined to comment on whether Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would attend the BRICS Summit.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have come under strain after Hasina virtually addressed the press on 5 August in New Delhi, saying she was determined to return home in December to put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, despite the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence.

Bangladesh expressed outrage over the media interaction, saying the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India.

It described Hasina as an “absconding, convicted genocider”.

However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on 7 August that it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and did not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government.

India will host the annual BRICS summit in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September, with the meeting expected to deliberate on several pressing global challenges, including the economic fallout of the West Asia crisis.