PM Modi meets Bangladesh's Yunus amid strained ties, 1st time since Sheikh Hasina's ouster; SEE first pictures
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, their first face-to-face meeting since the collapse of Bangladesh's former PM Sheikh Hasina's government.
Amid strained ties between India and Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, on the sidelines of BIMSTEC summit. PM Modi held a meeting with Muhammad Yunus in Thailand for the first since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime last August.
The two leaders, who were in Thailand for the BIMSTEC summit, had a firm handshake before sitting down for bilateral talks.
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Modi, Yunus Meet in Bangkok https://t.co/O64TaSIY07 pic.twitter.com/QEv7LPw3ne
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The 6th BIMSTEC Summit is set to take place on Friday, marking a significant regional engagement between India and its neighbouring countries in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) group.
| PM Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus hold a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand pic.twitter.com/4POheM34JJ
— ANI (@ANI)
First time since the collapse of Hasina Govt, PM Modi, Bangladesh's Yunus meet https://t.co/11rOEigcvN pic.twitter.com/Op5BJRXHdt
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant)Earlier on Thursday PM Modi and Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus were seen seated together at a dinner hosted by Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for leaders of the BIMSTEC grouping in Bangkok.
Photographs shared by Yunus’ office showed the Bangladesh Chief Adviser sitting next to Modi at the event, which was held at Hotel Shangri-La on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
Screen grab of BIMSTEC Summit official dinner on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/XHTBV1cNqV
— Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB)Strained India-Bangladesh ties
India-Bangladesh relations have experienced a downturn since Yunus’ interim government took charge following the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. New Delhi has expressed concerns over increasing violence targeting Hindus and the rise of hardline Islamist forces in Bangladesh under the current administration.
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Yunus’ recent visit to China further fueled tensions, as he controversially called for greater Chinese economic involvement in Bangladesh. He suggested that India’s landlocked northeastern states could benefit from Bangladesh’s access to the ocean, implying that Dhaka could play a crucial role in extending Beijing’s economic influence in the region.
Yunus’ controversial China remarks
During his trip to China last week, Yunus stated that India’s seven northeastern states are landlocked and lack direct access to the ocean. Referring to Bangladesh as the “only guardian of the ocean” in the region, he suggested that this could serve as an opportunity for economic integration with China.
"The seven states of the eastern part of India, called seven sisters they are landlocked. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardian of the ocean for all this region. So this could be an extension of the Chinese economy," Yunus had said during his four-day China visit.
His remarks were met with discontent in India, with officials viewing them as an indication of a strategic shift in Bangladesh’s foreign policy. Amid growing diplomatic unease, Bangladeshi officials have since issued clarifications on Yunus’ statement, attempting to downplay its implications.
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