Staff Correspondent

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are likely to have a meeting on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit which is expected to take place next month in Bangkok, Thailand.

Briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on current affairs on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain hinted at the possibility of such a development.

There was no meeting between Chief Adviser Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, as the two leaders' schedules did not align, officials said.

Modi left the United States before Prof Yunus’s arrival in New York.

The Chief Adviser was scheduled to attend the Bimstec Summit which was originally scheduled for September 4 but was later postponed.

The new date is yet to be announced but the Chief Adviser will attend the summit.

Thailand will host the next summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec). Bangladesh will take responsibility as the next chair of BIMSTEC there.

The Bimstec member states have emphasised the importance of enhancing physical, maritime and digital linkages to strengthen economic ties and people-to-people exchanges, while also exploring opportunities for capacity building and skill development.

The support for the establishment of Bimstec Centre of Excellence was also expressed by the member states at an informal meeting of the Bimstec Foreign Ministers.

The meeting was held in New York on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UNGA recently.

It concluded with a shared resolve to further deepen cooperation within Bimstec and prepare for the upcoming leaders' summit.

It was the first meeting of the Bimstec Foreign Ministers in New York on the sidelines of the annual Session of the UNGA.

Secretary General of the Bimstec Indra Mani Pandey has recently said the next summit will have some significant outcomes and it will set a direction for Bimstec future.

The Bimstec Secretary General hoped the upcoming summit would add a new vigour to regional cooperation within Bimstec.

"I believe Bimstec has a bright future. All the members are truly committed to making sure Bimstec becomes a success story," he said while making a presentation on Bimstec activities at its headquarters in Dhaka recently.

The summit will adopt a Bangkok Vision 2030 which would be an overarching kind of document and give direction to the organisation, he said, adding that it would be one of the significant outcomes.

Bimstec brings together seven countries in South and Southeast Asia for multifaceted cooperation.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Director General (Public Diplomacy Wing) Toufique Hasan were also present.