Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not attend the upcoming BRICS summit in India, Foreign Affairs State Minister Humayun Kabir said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy, Kabir said Dhaka was not satisfied with the way the invitation was extended to the prime minister.
“He was invited to the BRICS summit as the chair of BIMSTEC, not as the prime minister of Bangladesh,” Kabir said.
He added that Bangladesh is currently placing greater emphasis on bilateral engagement with India rather than participation in multilateral forums. A bilateral visit could take place when conditions are favourable and mutual respect is maintained, he said.
On the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, Kabir said Bangladesh would prioritise national interests regardless of commentary in the Indian media.
Regarding trade, he said bilateral discussions were ongoing but there was no final decision or major update to announce at this time.
On the Rohingya crisis, the state minister said no immediate deadline could be set for resolving such a complex issue. He said Bangladesh would continue diplomatic efforts at an accelerated pace and remained hopeful of reaching a realistic and acceptable solution soon.
