Modi won’t meet Yunus at UNGA; Bangladesh foreign adviser will meet Jaishankar

Dhaka, Sep 21 (PTI) Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on Saturday said that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will not be meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to media reports.

Hossain, former foreign secretary of Bangladesh, said he would hold a bilateral meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to advance the relationship between the two neighbours, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

At a press briefing at the foreign ministry in the afternoon, Hossain said, “Sorting out all issues, we want to further advance our relationship based on mutual respect and fairness.” "Our meeting with Jaishankar is almost certain. We have to acknowledge that there is a certain level of tension in our relations with India. To resolve any issues, we can't simply deny their existence. We will definitely try to move past the tension and establish a working relationship," Hossain said, according to The Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

Hossain said that Nobel laureate Yunus, 84, who took oath as Chief Adviser of the interim government after former PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India in August, will not be meeting Modi as the prime minister will depart New York before Yunus.

The foreign adviser said he would be leaving for New York on Sunday while the Bangladesh delegation will depart from Dhaka on Tuesday.

Asked if the meeting was not scheduled due to the statements made by the interim government, the adviser said that top Indian leaders have made comments in the past as well, but that does not prevent the two sides from holding meetings.

"There may also be cases when Bangladesh does not like many comments from India. This is not a major issue. We cannot change our neighbours but can only coexist and with a good relationship," Hossain added. PTI