PM Tarique Rahman will not attend BRICS Summit: State Minister

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has not been invited to attend the upcoming BRICS summit, and Bangladesh has no scope to send a government representative in his place, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said Thursday (September 10).

Responding to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy, Kabir said Bangladesh had been invited to the summit in its capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC, rather than Tarique Rahman being invited as prime minister.

“How can we go? Has anyone from the Bangladesh government been invited? Our prime minister has not been invited,” he said, adding that the invitation was extended to Bangladesh as BIMSTEC chair.

On the possibility of Tarique Rahman visiting India, Kabir said the prime minister’s first visit to the country would not be a multilateral trip. The government is working to arrange a bilateral visit if circumstances are favourable, he said.

Bangladesh assumed the BIMSTEC chairmanship in April last year for a two-year term. The seven-member regional grouping comprises Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled for September 12-13 in New Delhi, with leaders of BRICS members and partner countries, along with invited leaders and representatives from other countries, expected to attend.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also due to join the summit.

India is chairing BRICS in 2026, with the summit being held at Bharat Mandapam under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”