While the chapter of Bangladesh's participation in the BRICS Summit this week appears to be closed, Dhaka and New Delhi are now turning their attention to a possible bilateral visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The shift is significant. Rather than making his first visit to India on the margins of a multilateral summit, Dhaka appears intent on ensuring that the visit takes place on a clearly bilateral footing and at a time when the circumstances are considered conducive.

What initially appeared to be a possible BRICS-linked engagement between the two neighbouring countries may therefore evolve into a more focused diplomatic encounter, with the substance of Bangladesh-India relations taking centre stage.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has expressed optimism that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit India at the appropriate time, stressing that the Prime Minister is aware of the standing invitation extended to him in February this year.

"We are absolutely confident... at the right time... the Prime Minister of Bangladesh has a standing invitation (since February this year), and he knows it," he told reporters when asked about the possibility of the visit.

The distinction between the two invitations is important. In a letter dated July 14, 2026, addressed to BIMSTEC Chair Tarique Rahman, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited him to attend the BRICS Outreach Segment in his capacity as Chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

"This Summit holds particular significance as BRICS marks twenty years since its establishment. Over the past two decades, BRICS has evolved into an important platform for dialogue and cooperation among its members, and has made a valuable contribution to addressing shared global challenges," Modi said in the invitation.

The deliberations, he said, would focus on further strengthening cooperation, guided by the principles of people-centred development and a "Humanity First" approach. The summit would also provide an opportunity to exchange views on pressing regional and global issues.

"I am confident that Your Excellency's participation as the Chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in the BRICS Outreach Segment will greatly enrich the deliberations. I look forward to our interaction at the Summit," the Indian prime minister said.

The question of whether Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi had, for a time, appeared to be more than a matter of protocol. It carried the possibility of becoming an early test of Bangladesh's evolving relationship with India. But State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir's latest clarification has effectively closed that chapter: there is no scope for the prime minister to attend the summit as Bangladesh's head of government because he was not invited in that capacity.

The distinction matters. India's invitation was extended to the Chair of BIMSTEC, a position currently held by Bangladesh. Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, now in New York as President of the UN General Assembly, had said that no final decision had been made regarding the prime minister's participation, leaving room for speculation about a possible India visit.

Kobir's statement on September 10 has now removed much of that uncertainty. The government's position, as conveyed by him, is that the prime minister's first visit to India should be bilateral rather than multilateral and should take place when the circumstances are conducive.

That choice carries diplomatic significance. A first bilateral visit has a different political and diplomatic weight from an appearance on the sidelines of a multilateral summit. It gives both governments greater space to determine the agenda, address bilateral concerns and shape the optics of the engagement on their own terms.

For Dhaka, attending the BRICS Summit as BIMSTEC chair would not necessarily offer the same diplomatic opportunity as a direct bilateral engagement between the two governments. For New Delhi, meanwhile, inviting the BIMSTEC chair reflects the importance it attaches to the regional grouping without necessarily constituting a bilateral invitation to the Bangladeshi prime minister for the summit itself.

Bangladesh, therefore, will not use the BRICS Summit as the occasion for the prime minister's first India visit. Instead, the government says it wants the visit to take place separately and bilaterally, at a more appropriate time.

"The BRICS invitation has generated headlines, but the real diplomatic story lies elsewhere: in how Dhaka and New Delhi choose to define their next bilateral engagement."

"How shall we go? Has anyone from the Bangladesh government been invited? Our Prime Minister was not invited. Who told you that our Prime Minister was invited? The BIMSTEC Chair was invited. Then why are you asking this question?" Kobir told reporters, ruling out the possibility of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attending the BRICS Summit.

Responding to a question at the Foreign Service Academy, Kobir said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first visit to India could not be a multilateral visit.

He said the government was working to arrange a bilateral visit to India when the timing was conducive, stressing that Bangladesh was placing greater emphasis on a bilateral visit by the prime minister and substantive discussions.

Kobir said such a bilateral visit would take place when the environment was conducive and mutual respect was maintained. "There is no need to rush things," he said.

His remarks also point to the issues likely to shape the broader bilateral conversation. Asked about the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty, the state minister said, "Wherever our national interest is involved, we will act with importance and competence. We will prioritise the interests and well-being of our country."

The statement is significant because water-sharing remains one of the most sensitive issues in Bangladesh-India relations. Kobir's emphasis on national interest suggests that Dhaka intends to approach such matters with a clear focus on Bangladesh's priorities.

In April 2025, Bangladesh assumed the chairmanship of BIMSTEC for a two-year term, reaffirming its commitment to advancing regional cooperation and development. BIMSTEC comprises seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

On August 4, India confirmed that an invitation had been extended to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit in his capacity as BIMSTEC chair, while a separate bilateral invitation has been in place since February this year.

"You would be aware that a formal invitation to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India was extended when he assumed office in February 2026," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing in New Delhi.

Regarding the BRICS Summit, he said India had separately extended an invitation to the Bangladesh prime minister, in his capacity as the current BIMSTEC chair, to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

"The invitation has been extended as per the standard practice being followed in BRICS for the outreach sessions. Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner," the MEA spokesperson said.

The clarification from New Delhi is important. It indicates that the two invitations - the bilateral invitation to the Prime Minister and the BRICS outreach invitation to the BIMSTEC Chair - are separate diplomatic tracks.

The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 12-13. BRICS member states and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres are expected to attend the summit. The United Nations in India confirmed UN chief's participation in a post on its verified Facebook page on September 9.

As BRICS Chair for 2026, India will host the summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The gathering will bring together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, as well as outreach invitees.

India's BRICS chairship is guided by the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a people-centred approach rooted in the spirit of "Humanity First."

The leaders are also expected to exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on common priorities and on global and regional issues of mutual importance.

Under India's chairship this year, more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held in over 25 cities across the country to strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership across three broad pillars: political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

India says these engagements, along with business-to-business and people-to-people initiatives, have contributed to advancing BRICS cooperation through practical and development-oriented outcomes.

India is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held the chairmanship three times - in 2012, 2016 and 2021. It assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1, 2026. The year 2026 also marks 20 years since the establishment of BRICS.

BRICS - named after its original members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - has long been a critical institution for India. New Delhi balances its membership in the grouping, meant to provide alternatives to Western economic institutions, with its close ties with the West; in doing so, it bolsters its strategic autonomy, according to Michael Kugelman, the writer of Foreign Policy's weekly South Asia Brief and a senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council.

Bangladesh and India, as neighboring countries, share deep historical, geographical, cultural, linguistic and social linkages. The bilateral relations are now focused towards people-centric development. The BRICS question has now been clarified. The bilateral question remains open. And that may be the more important one. If Dhaka and New Delhi can create the right conditions for a substantive and mutually respectful engagement, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's eventual visit could carry far greater diplomatic significance than a brief appearance at a multilateral summit ever could.