India says Rahman was invited as BIMSTEC chair, not Bangladesh PM, as Dhaka rules out BRICS visit

India and Bangladesh have offered differing descriptions of an invitation extended to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the BRICS summit in New Delhi, with Dhaka ruling out his participation and New Delhi saying he was invited as the chair of the BIMSTEC regional grouping.

Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Thursday that Rahman had not been invited to the summit in his capacity as Bangladesh’s prime minister. He said the invitation was instead extended to the chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, a position currently held by Bangladesh.

Kobir ruled out Rahman attending the summit and said Bangladesh would not send a government representative to the event.

India has said Rahman was separately invited to attend the BRICS outreach session in his capacity as BIMSTEC chair. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in August that the invitation was consistent with the practice of inviting heads of regional organisations to BRICS outreach sessions.

“Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner,” Jaiswal said, according to reports of the ministry briefing.

The dispute over the nature of the invitation comes ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, which India is scheduled to host in New Delhi on Sept. 12 and 13. The summit will bring together leaders of BRICS members and partner countries, as well as participants invited for the outreach session.

Two separate invitations

India has also extended a separate invitation to Rahman for a bilateral visit. According to the Indian government, that invitation was issued after he assumed office in February.

Indian officials have maintained that the bilateral invitation and the BRICS outreach invitation are separate. Jaiswal said the BRICS invitation was specifically extended in Rahman’s capacity as BIMSTEC chair.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, has indicated that Rahman’s first visit to India should take place as a bilateral engagement rather than in connection with a multilateral summit.

Kobir said Dhaka was working toward arranging such a visit when conditions were suitable, while stressing that there was no need to rush.

Bangladesh opts out of summit

Kobir’s comments on Thursday ended uncertainty over whether Rahman would travel to NewDelhi for the BRICS meeting.

Earlier this month, India had said it had no update on whether Rahman would attend the summit or whether another representative would participate on Bangladesh’s behalf.

Bangladesh now says neither Rahman nor another government representative will attend.

The decision comes as relations between New Delhi and Dhaka remain sensitive following the 2024 ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has remained in India. Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition, while India has said the request is under examination.

The two countries are also continuing discussions on bilateral trade. Bangladesh has said it wants its relationship with India to focus on bilateral issues and national interests, including the future of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, which is due to expire in December.

For now, the BRICS invitation has highlighted a diplomatic distinction between the role of Bangladesh’s prime minister and the country’s position as the current chair of BIMSTEC — a distinction that has led Dhaka to keep Rahman away from the New Delhi summit.