PM Modi to visit Thailand, Sri Lanka from April 3-6

PM Modi will also visit Sri Lanka after wrapping his Thailand trip, the MEA release stated.

The statement did not mention any bilateral meeting between Bangladesh's chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok next week. Dhaka had requested a meeting amid a strained bilateral relationship after the August 5, 2024, regime change in Bangladesh.

The upcoming BIMSTEC summit will be the first physical meeting of the leaders since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. Thailand is the current chair of the regional grouping.

The statement said the leaders are expected to discuss various institution and capacity-building measures to augment collaboration within the BIMSTEC framework. “India has been taking a number of initiatives in BIMSTEC to strengthen regional cooperation and partnership,” it noted.