MEA Confirms India Extended Two Invitations To Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received two separate invitations from India — one for a bilateral visit and another to attend the BRICS Summit in his capacity as chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday. The clarification from New Delhi came after conflicting statements from Dhaka over whether Rahman had been invited to the BRICS meeting as Bangladesh’s prime minister or only in his capacity as BIMSTEC chair.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks during a biweekly media briefing in the national capital. Responding to a question about whether India had extended an invitation to Rahman, Jaiswal said the two invitations were separate. “We had invited the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a bilateral visit. Subsequently, he was also invited to attend the BRICS Summit in his capacity as the Chair of BIMSTEC,” he said. Jaiswal added that Rahman had therefore received one invitation for a bilateral visit and another for participation in the BRICS Summit.

The BRICS invitation had been announced by India earlier in August. At the time, the MEA said Rahman had been invited to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi as the current chair of BIMSTEC. India said the invitation was in line with the established practice of inviting heads of regional groupings to BRICS outreach sessions. The separate bilateral invitation had been extended to Rahman after he assumed office as Bangladesh prime minister in February 2026.

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The distinction became significant after Bangladesh said Rahman would not attend the BRICS Summit. Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on September 10 that Rahman had been invited as BIMSTEC chair rather than as Bangladesh’s prime minister. He said there was no scope for Bangladesh to send a government representative to the summit and indicated that Rahman’s first visit to India should instead take place as a dedicated bilateral engagement. Dhaka maintained that the two types of invitations should not be treated as the same.

Rahman ultimately did not attend the BRICS Summit, which India hosted in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The summit brought together leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping, while the outreach session included participation by representatives invited in connection with regional organisations. Bangladesh’s position was that Rahman’s first India visit should be arranged separately from a multilateral summit. The Bangladesh government has also indicated that a bilateral visit remains possible, with the timing dependent on an agreed schedule and broader circumstances.

The issue comes as India and Bangladesh seek to manage their bilateral relationship following the political transition in Dhaka in August 2024 and Rahman’s assumption of office earlier this year. The two countries have continued diplomatic communication despite differences over the nature and timing of high-level engagement. Jaiswal’s latest remarks make clear that, from New Delhi’s perspective, the bilateral invitation and the BRICS invitation were separate diplomatic initiatives. As of Tuesday, however, India had not received confirmation of Rahman’s proposed bilateral visit, with Jaiswal saying the MEA would provide an update when there was further information.

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