India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received two separate invitations to visit India — one for a bilateral visit and another to attend the BRICS Summit as the current chair of Bimstec.
Speaking at the ministry’s weekly press briefing on Tuesday, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We had invited the prime minister of Bangladesh for a bilateral visit. Subsequently, he was invited for the BRICS Summit as chair of Bimstec. So, he had received two invitations.”
India had earlier said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was invited to the BRICS Summit’s outreach session in his capacity as the current chair of Bimstec, reports Times of India.
The summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with leaders of member and partner countries, as well as invited leaders, attending the outreach session.
The clarification came after comments by Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir last week. He said Rahman had been invited not as Bangladesh’s prime minister but as chair of Bimstec.
“We did not receive an invitation for our prime minister. The invitation was extended to the Bimstec chair,” he said.