In counter to Yunus's remark, PM Modi says Northeast integral to Bimstec

As he departed for Thailand to participate in the 6th Bimstec summit, PM Narendra Modi asserted India's Northeast lies at the heart of the inter-regional group, underlining the primacy of the northeastern states in the region, days after Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said in China the "7 sisters" are landlocked with no way of reaching the ocean. Modi's remark came ahead of a likely bilateral meeting between the two on Friday on the summit's margins.

Modi and Yunus came face to face for the first time at the dinner hosted by Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Modi to meet Yunus today, claim top Bangladesh officials

Modi was seated between Yunus and Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli. An Indian govt source speaking on condition of anonymity said the meeting, as sought by Dhaka, is "in the works". Senior officials in Dhaka were quoted as saying that the leaders would meet on Friday afternoon, shortly after the Bimstec summit. The meeting, if it happens, would be the first between the leaders since the interim govt took charge in Bangladesh in Aug 2025.

Separately, in a Bimstec ministerial, Jaishankar said that the North-East had emerged as a connectivity hub for the Bimstec and the completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway will connect the region all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This, he said, would be a veritable game-changer.

Yunus's office had clarified on Wednesday that his remarks about India's North-East had been made with "honest intentions" but were interpreted wrongly. The fact that he was speaking in China, while inviting Beijing to take advantage of Bangladesh's geographical location, raised eyebrows in India.

Modi had last week written to Yunus on Bangladesh National Day, extending his felicitations and underlining the significance of working together on the basis of mutual sensitivity to each other's interests and concerns. India also remains concerned about the law-and-order situation in Bangladesh, and the threat to minorities amid increasing radicalisation in the country.

According to govt sources, bilateral meetings are likely also with Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli and Myanmar junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who is undertaking a rare visit abroad amid the civil war in the country for Bimstec.

In his departure statement, Modi also said that Bimstec has emerged as a significant forum for promoting regional development, connectivity and economic progress in the Bay of Bengal region. "I look forward to meeting the leaders of the Bimstec countries and engaging productively to further strengthen our collaboration with the interest of our people in mind," said Modi.

Bimstec or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is an inter-regional grouping comprising five South Asian countries and two Asean states, lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh will take over as the chair of Bimstec at the Bangkok summit.

At the last summit in Colombo in 2022, the leaders adopted the Bimstec Charter, completing its transition from a grouping to a regional organisation. With Saarc now non-functional because of the lack of any diplomatic engagement between India and Pakistan, the Indian govt has pushed Bimstec as an alternative for regional trade, connectivity and security. Addressing the Colombo summit, Modi had also called for expediti ng ongoing talks for a Bimstec free trade agreement (FTA) that would enhance mutual trade.

The PM will also visit Sri Lanka from Bangkok. "This follows the highly successful visit of President Dissanayaka to India last Dec. We will have the opportunity to review progress made on the joint vision of fostering partnerships for a shared future and provide further guidance to realise our shared objectives," he said in his departure statement.