Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir confirmed on Thursday adding that no Bangladeshi representative will take part.
Speaking after a conference on the Rohingya crisis in Dhaka Foreign Minister said Dhaka was unhappy with how the invitation was extended. He clarified that Tarique had been invited not as Bangladesh's prime minister but in his capacity as chairman of BIMSTEC the regional bloc Bangladesh has led since April 2025. Since Bangladesh is not a BRICS member the invitation was solely for the summit's outreach session.
"Our Prime Minister was not invited. Who told you that?" Humaiun Kobir told reporters also dismissing questions about his attendance. He said Tarique's first visit to India cannot be structured as a multilateral trip but a separate bilateral visit remains possible if conditions are favourable.
Earlier this week the Prime Minister's Information Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman urged that the invitation issue be treated seriously, amid public speculation over whether the government was using it to pressure India on unrelated matters.
India has confirmed a bilateral invitation to Tarique has been standing since February. The BRICS Summit will be held on September 12–13 in New Delhi chaired by India under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to attend alongside BRICS member and partner nations.
