India did not invite Bangladesh PM Rahman for BRICS; invite was for BIMSTEC Chair: Dhaka

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Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

Bangladesh will not be represented at the BRICS summit in any official capacity, said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Humaiun Kobir on Thursday (September 10, 2026). Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, Mr. Kobir said that India had invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in his capacity as the head of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and not as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Mr. Kobir’s explanation came as speculation continued on whether Bangladesh would send any representative to the BRICS summit for which India had extended an early invite to Bangladesh Prime Minister Rahman in August 2026.

“How shall we go? Has anyone from the Bangladesh government been invited? Our Prime Minister was not invited. Who told you that our Prime Minister was invited? The BIMSTEC Chair was invited. Then why are you asking this question?” remarked Mr. Kobir in response to questions from the media. India is the host of the 2026 BRICS summit and received global leaders like President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia and several others.

Speaking to the media at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Mr. Kobir said that the first visit of Mr. Rahman to India can not be a multilateral one and that a bilateral visit will be planned at a “conducive” time.

Prime Minister Rahman was invited to visit India bilaterally immediately after he took office on February 17, 2026. In August, India invited the Country Chairs of Regional Organisations like BIMSTEC, ASEAN, the African Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

On Thursday (September 10, 2026), the Ministry of External Affairs announced that the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos; the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye; and the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will participate in the BRICS summit representing ASEAN, the African Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. CELAC and GCC will be represented by Mario Lubetkin, Foreign Minister of Uruguay and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Minister of Bahrain. The announcement did not feature any name for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh had earlier said that Delhi and Dhaka were in consultation for a possible visit by Mr. Rahman to India. However, the talks broke down after deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a virtual press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) where she attacked the current government in Dhaka for the breakdown in law and order. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka had expressed “outrage” over the issue.

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