PM Modi to visit Thailand for BIMSTEC, Sri Lanka later; meet with Bangladesh’s Yunus not on cards yet

Prime minister Narendra Modi will visit Bangkok at the invitation of his Thailand counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra from April 3-4 to participate in the 6th BIMSTEC summit and also hold a bilateral meeting, said the ministry of external affairs in a release on Friday.

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.

MEA said PM Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with Shinawatra on April 3 to review bilateral cooperation in various sectors and chart the way forward for the future partnership between the countries.

The Centre noted that New Delhi and Thailand are “maritime neighbours” who share “civilizational bonds which are underpinned by cultural, linguistic, and religious ties.”

MEA also said India’s participation in the BIMSTEC summit “will reaffirm India’s commitment to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, ‘Act East’ policy, ‘MAHASAGAR’ (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision, and vision of the Indo-Pacific.”

Modi to visit Sri Lanka

The Centre also said the prime minister will visit Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6 at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka.

This will be PM Modi’s first visit to the island since the new government assumed power. After assuming power, the Sri Lankan leader visited New Delhi for his first overseas engagement.

PM Modi will hold meetings with senior officials and political leaders to review bilateral relations. He will also travel to Anuradhapura to inaugurate development projects implemented with Indian financial assistance.

MEA said, “Prime Minister’s visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka, and his participation in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit will reaffirm India’s commitment to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, ‘Act East’ policy, ‘MAHASAGAR’ (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision, and vision of the Indo-Pacific.”