India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 12-13, marking a diplomatic outreach as New Delhi seeks to strengthen ties with Dhaka.
Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam confirmed on Thursday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received the invitation from India and forwarded it to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Although Bangladesh is neither a member nor an observer of the 11-member BRICS grouping, it has been invited as a special guest for the summit.
The summit is expected to focus on global cooperation, trade and sustainable development under India’s BRICS chairship. India has adopted the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” reflecting the people-centric and humanity-first approach outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The current BRICS members are Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
The invitation comes amid a series of developments aimed at improving bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh.
Last month, India granted its High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, the equivalent status of a Union Cabinet Minister in the Table of Precedence on a personal basis for ceremonial functions.
An office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs stated: “The undersigned is directed to say that Shri Dinesh Trivedi, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, has been assigned the equivalent status of Union Cabinet Minister in the Table of Precedence (ToP) as a measure personal to him, without amending the Table of Precedence. This position in the Table of Precedence is for ceremonial functions only.”
India also resumed issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi citizens on June 28 after a suspension of nearly two years that followed the July 2024 demonstrations.
Announcing the move during a visit to the Indian Visa Application Centre at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka, Trivedi said: “I am very happy to be able to announce the launch of general travel visas again. Visa applications can be submitted starting June 28. Urgent medical visas will continue to be provided for humanitarian reasons.”
The invitation to the BRICS Summit is expected to add further momentum to diplomatic engagement between the two neighbouring countries ahead of the New Delhi meeting.
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