Kumar Bahukhandi
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. File picture | Photo Credit: Reuters
Bangladesh’s Minister for Foreign Affairs says the Indian government has invited Mr. Rahman to participate in the summit as a guest
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited to participate in the BRICS summit that will be held here on September 12 and 13, according to Shama Obaid, Bangladeshi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Tarique Rahman has received an invitation from the Indian government to be a guest at the BRICS summit, Obaid told journalists in Dhaka on Thursday (July 23, 2026).
This is the first BRICS summit to be held after Mr. Rahman came to power in February, following a landslide victory for his Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the general election held after nearly 15 months of an interim government in Dhaka.
Rahman’s first two foreign trips after taking charge were to Malaysia and China last month, when he met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Several important discussions are pending between India and Bangladesh, due to the lack of any high-level contacts between the two countries since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
One of these issues awaiting resolution is the Ganga water treaty of 1996, which needs to be renewed as its validity ends on December 31, 2026. The two sides need to meet and finalise the draft of the renewal before that date.
