Bangladesh Says BRICS Invite Was for BIMSTEC Chair, Not PM Rahman

Bangladesh will not be represented at the BRICS summit in any official capacity, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said in Dhaka on Thursday, clarifying that India's invitation had been extended to the BIMSTEC Chair rather than to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as head of government.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Kobir said the invitation was addressed to the chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. His remarks came amid continuing speculation over whether Dhaka would send a representative to the summit, which India is hosting.

"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," Mr. Kobir said in response to questions.

India, as host of the 2026 BRICS summit, has received leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

In August, India invited the chairs of regional organisations, among them 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, the Ministry of External Affairs said the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos; the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye; and the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, would take part in the summit representing ASEAN, the African Union and the EAEU respectively. CELAC and the GCC will be represented by Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. No name was announced for Bangladesh.

Mr. Kobir, who was speaking at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, said Mr. Rahman's first visit to India could not be a multilateral one and that a bilateral trip would be planned at a "conducive" time.

Mr. Rahman was invited to visit India bilaterally soon after he took office on February 17, 2026. The two sides had earlier said they were in consultation over a possible visit, but the talks broke down after deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a virtual press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club, attacking the current government in Dhaka over the breakdown in law and order. Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "outrage" over the episode.