Bangladesh says PM Rahman's India visit hinges on schedule, bilateral talks

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's proposed visit to India has yet to be finalised, with the timing depending on his "schedule" and the "progress" in bilateral discussions, a junior minister said on Thursday. "The government is positive about visits to all countries. But it will depend on the PM's schedule and on how far discussions between the two countries progress," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the foreign office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladesh counterpart to join the outreach of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC, as India is hosting the event on September 12-13. The BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional grouping comprising India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said that two separate ...