Modi invites Tarique

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 12-13.

"The ministry had received the invitation from the Indian side and forwarded it to the Prime Minister's Office," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear whether Tarique would attend the summit, as no decision has yet been announced by the Prime Minister's Office.

Responding to a question on Bangladesh-India relations, Shama said Bangladesh, as a democratic country with a democratically elected government, wants peace and stability across the region.

"This is our position, and we want peace and stability to be maintained in our region," she said.

She also expressed hope that India, as a major democratic country, would address the concerns of its people through democratic means.

India is hosting this year's BRICS Summit under the theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", reflecting what New Delhi describes as a people-centric and humanity-first approach.

As the summit host, India is expected to invite several non-member countries as special guests alongside the bloc's 11 member states.

Meanwhile,  Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Thursday met Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and exchanged pleasantries on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, the Philippines.

"Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr Khalilur Rahman and Minister of External Affairs of India Dr S Jaishankar greeted each other on the margin of the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting," a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Dr Khalilur Rahman held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the US, Russia, China and Pakistan on the sidelines of the ARF Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

During the meetings, the foreign minister exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including economic cooperation, trade and investment opportunities, and matters of shared global concern.

Dr Khalilur is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh's steadfast commitment to dialogue, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order while addressing the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Manila.

On the Rohingya crisis, Dr. Rahman reiterated that Bangladesh has continued to shoulder the humanitarian responsibility of hosting over 1.3 million forcibly displaced Rohingya from Myanmar for nearly a decade. As the Rogingya issued perpetuated, Bangladesh fell victim of various types of transborder crimes such as drug running, human trafficking and illicit flows of arms and weapons.

He said, "The Rohingya are not stateless people by circumstance - they are stateless by design. It is a political failure demanding a political solution". He called upon ARF participants to collectively support to efforts to create conditions in Myanmar conducive to the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya to their homeland in the Rakhine State.

Addressing climate-related security challenges, the Foreign Minister noted that Bangladesh, as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, remains committed to promoting enhanced regional cooperation in disaster preparedness and early warning systems. In its capacity as Co-Chair of the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief, Bangladesh will continue to advocate for strengthened regional resilience under the ARF framework.

The Foreign Minister also highlighted the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, calling for closer regional cooperation to address cybersecurity threats, disinformation, and the misuse of advanced technologies. He proposed exploring a regional technology governance framework that reflects the region's unique geopolitical and developmental realities.