"Certainly hope for meeting to take place": Bangladesh Foreign Secy on prospective PM Modi-Yunus meeting at BIMSTEC Summit

Bangkok [Thailand], April 2 : Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin said on Wednesday that Bangladesh has requested for a meeting with the Indian side and expressed optimism for it to take place.
Speaking to ANI ahead of the BIMSTEC Summit, when asked about reports stating Bangladesh's request for a meeting between PM Modi and Chief Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, at BIMSTEC, Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin said, " There has been a request from our side and we certainly hope that this will take place. "
A five-member delegation from Bangladesh, led by Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin, participated in the 25th Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) which commenced on Wednesday in Bangkok, ahead of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit scheduled for April 4, 2025. the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry stated.
The Thai capital is gearing up to host the summit with full-fledged preparations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Thailand to attend the summit and hold bilateral discussions with his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on April 3.
In the recent interactions with Bangladesh, earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi sent a heartfelt message, expressing his warmest wishes to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and the people of Bangladesh, on the joyous occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Muhammad Yunus had shared the letter on X and wrote, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sends the following message to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to wish people of Bangladesh on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr."
Previously on March 20, Foreign Affairs Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Md Touhid Hossain told ANI, "We have made a diplomatic approach to India to hold bilateral meeting between our two leaders at the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit."
However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on March 21 said it has no update on the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the upcoming BIMSTEC summit.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly media briefing, "I do not have any update to share at this point in time," while answering the potential meeting between PM Modi and Yunus on the sidelines of the upcoming BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.
BIMSTEC was established on June 6, 1997, through the Bangkok Declaration, with Thailand playing a foundational role.
The organisation connects South and Southeast Asian nations with shared economic and cultural ties dating back centuries.
The summit, themed BIMSTEC--Prosperous, Resilient and Open, will focus on enhancing regional cooperation in trade, security, and connectivity.