Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh’s next Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, along with other regional leaders on February 17, people familiar with the matter said.
The message from Dhaka reached Indian officials late on Saturday night, just hours after top leaders of Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) suggested that regional heads would be invited to attend the ceremony, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
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Will Modi attend the ceremony?
It is unlikely that PM Modi will go to Dhaka since he is expected to hold a bilateral meeting in Mumbai with French President Emmanuel Macron on February 17, the people told HT on condition of anonymity.
Macron is visiting India to participate in the AI Impact Summit next week. The summit is being described as the largest edition to date and will be the fourth annual global gathering focused on assessing the risks and opportunities linked to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence technology.
{{/usCountry}}Macron is visiting India to participate in the AI Impact Summit next week. The summit is being described as the largest edition to date and will be the fourth annual global gathering focused on assessing the risks and opportunities linked to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence technology.
{{/usCountry}}India is expected to send a senior representative to Tarique Rahman’s inauguration, possibly the vice president or the external affairs minister, the people said, adding that New Delhi also does not want to appear as moving too quickly towards renewed ties with Bangladesh, even though improving relations that had dropped to a fresh low remains important.
“There is also the optics of sharing a stage with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who is also expected to be invited to the event,” one person told HT.
Bangladesh is reported to be planning invitations for leaders from most member nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which was founded by Tarique Rahman’s father, former president Ziaur Rahman, as well as heads of state or government from other friendly countries such as China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, the people said.
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What Tarique Rahman said on ties with India
In his speech a day after Friday's victory, Tarique Rahman called for unity and pushed for democratic values. He said that Bangladesh was preparing to begin a new journey "in a situation marked by a fragile economy left behind by the authoritarian regime."
When asked how he views India-Bangladesh relations, Rahman pointed to his "Bangladesh First" agenda.
“The interests of Bangladesh and its people will determine our foreign policy,” Rahman said in response to the question.
He had earlier said that the BNP government would maintain balanced ties with neighbours such as India, China and Pakistan and would not treat any country as its "master".
(With inputs from Rezaul H Laskar)