PM Narendra Modi, who went on a two-day visit to Thailand, was seen sitting with Bangladesh’s interim Prime Minister Mohammad Yunus on Thursday evening. Nepal’s PM KP Oli was sitting on the other side of Modi. This was the occasion of the state dinner organized before the BIMSTEC conference.This is the first time after the coup in Bangladesh in August last year that the Indian PM and the Chief Advisor of the Bangladeshi government have met. A bilateral meeting may take place between the two leaders after the BIMSTEC summit.There has been a situation of tension between India and Bangladesh since Yunus took office. Actually, Bangladesh is the upcoming chair of the BIMSTEC group. Bangladesh has been facing political instability for some time. After Sheikh Hasina stepped down and left the country, tension was also seen in India-Bangladesh relations. Meanwhile, during his recent visit to China, Yunus had also urged Beijing to increase its economic influence in Bangladesh. He described India’s northeastern states as an opportunity due to the lack of sea routes and asked China to explore possibilities in them.S. Jaishankar said Bangladesh is only looking at its own benefit and had responded in strong words to Yunus’ statement. Jaishankar said, India’s coastline is 6,500 km long. We not only share borders with five BIMSTEC countries and connect them with each other but also act as an interface between the entire Indian subcontinent and ASEAN. Our Northeast region is emerging as a connectivity hub for BIMSTEC. A network of roads, railways, waterways, grids, and pipelines is being developed here.Jaishankar said, We believe that cooperation is a comprehensive thing. It cannot be that you only talk about your own benefits and ignore the rest. Relations between India and Bangladesh became tense after Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government was removed from power in August last year. When Hasina lost power after being in power for 15 years in Bangladesh, she took refuge in India. This led to the rise of both countries. After Mohammad Yunus became the interim prime minister of the Bangladesh government, PM Modi spoke to him on the phone on 16 August. In this, Modi appealed to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh.The BIMSTEC summit is to be held in Bangkok. After this summit, a formal meeting can take place between PM Modi and Mohammad Yunus. According to media reports, Bangladesh has formally requested a meeting with India. India’s Foreign Ministry is considering this request.BIMSTEC is a regional organization of seven countries adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. Its full name is Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. It was formed in 1997. Initially there were four countries in it, and it was called BIST-EC, i.e., Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation Organization. When Myanmar joined in 1997 and Bhutan and Nepal in 2004, its name became BIMSTEC.Talking on this topic, Anuradha Singh, political analyst at Bluekraft, said, “India played a pivotal role in the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, providing military, political, and humanitarian support. The relationship has been shaped by mutual cooperation in areas such as trade, connectivity, security, and energy. India has always followed a neighbor’s first policy and helped Bangladesh in times of crisis. We expect Bangladesh to be a loyal neighbor; however, reports of violence against Hindus, issues of border killings, and the current political shift in Bangladesh have strained the bilateral relations between the two countries.”
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