New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus sat next to each other at an official dinner in Thailand on Thursday (April 3) evening for visiting BIMSTEC leaders, just hours after India highlighted cooperation between its north-eastern states and its Thai host.Modi arrived in Bangkok on Thursday afternoon to participate in the regional summit scheduled for Friday.On the first day, he held a bilateral delegation-level meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, during which both leaders elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.At the joint press following the talks, Modi said the two sides had “emphasised cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture and education between Thailand and the North-Eastern states of India”.Underscoring the focus on India’s north-eastern states, two of the five agreements signed were directly related to the region.The Indian Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region signed a memorandum of understanding with the Thai foreign ministry, while another agreement was inked between the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd and Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency.Prime Minister Modi and his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Photo: MEAphotogallery/Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0National security adviser Ajit Doval and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar were also present at the bilateral talks, where the two sides agreed to collaborate closely on combating human trafficking and illegal migration.Thailand had recently assisted India in repatriating 549 Indian nationals trapped in a fake job racket in Myanmar.“We thanked the government of Thailand for their cooperation in facilitating the return of Indian victims of cybercrime. We have agreed that our agencies will collaborate closely to combat human trafficking and illegal migration,” Modi said.He also reiterated India’s support for ASEAN unity and centrality.“In the Indo-Pacific, we both support a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order. We believe in the policy of vikaasvaad, not vistaarvaad [development, not expansion],” Modi said, in a pointed reference to China.Later in the evening, Modi was seated between Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Yunus during the BIMSTEC official dinner.Screen grab of BIMSTEC Summit official dinner on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/XHTBV1cNqV— Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) April 3, 2025This marked Modi’s first in-person interaction with Yunus since he was sworn in as chief adviser, following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s flight to India amid a popular movement against her government.Modi had previously spoken with Yunus over the phone in August last year to extend his congratulations, but bilateral relations have remained tense since then.Bangladesh had formally requested a meeting between Yunus and Modi in Bangkok. A day earlier, a senior Bangladesh official had publicly stated that there was a “high possibility” of it taking place on Friday.Indian officials have not confirmed the meeting publicly but have not denied it either, with sources stating it is “in the works”.Before leaving for Thailand, Modi had stated that he looked forward to meeting BIMSTEC leaders to explore ways to strengthen collaboration in the interest of the region’s people.“I look forward to meeting the leaders of the BIMSTEC countries and engaging productively to further strengthen our collaboration with the interests of our people in mind,” Modi said as he began his visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka on Thursday.Jaishankar participated in the BIMSTEC ministerial meeting, which finalised several documents to be released during the leaders’ summit on Friday morning.These include the Declaration of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, a joint statement by BIMSTEC leaders on the impact of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand, and a commitment to establishing the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Disaster Management in India at the earliest.The ministers also reviewed the report of the Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC, which outlines recommendations for reforming the grouping.
