No Meeting Between Bangladesh's Chief Adviser and Indian PM at UN Assembly

Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain announced that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will not meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN General Assembly in New York. Hossain will instead meet India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to advance bilateral ties. The trip aims to address existing tensions.

Bangladesh's Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain stated on Saturday that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will not meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the UN General Assembly in New York, as reported by media outlets. Instead, Hossain will hold a bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, The Daily Star reported.

At a press briefing at the foreign ministry, Hossain emphasized the need to advance relations based on mutual respect and fairness. "Our meeting with Jaishankar is almost certain. We acknowledge that there is a level of tension in our relations with India. To resolve any issues, we can't simply deny their existence. We will try to move past the tension and establish a working relationship," Hossain said, according to The Dhaka Tribune.

Hossain mentioned that Nobel laureate Yunus, who assumed the role of Chief Adviser after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, will not meet Modi as the Indian PM will leave New York before Yunus arrives. The Bangladesh delegation is scheduled to depart from Dhaka on Tuesday. Hossain downplayed any potential impact of past statements by the interim government on the meeting schedule, adding, "There may be instances when Bangladesh does not favor many comments from India. This is not a significant issue. We cannot change our neighbors but can only coexist with a good relationship."

(With inputs from agencies.)