Kantho Desk

The developments in Bangladesh came up during discussions between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the president’s personal residence in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

He said there was also an exchange of views between Modi and Biden about the situation in Bangladesh.

Vikram’s remarks came during a media briefing in Washington in reply to a question from India’s state-owned TV channel Doordarshan journalist if Bangladesh came up for discussions between the two leaders and if he could share the contours of the discussion.

“Look, as I said, these discussions cover subjects that are in the region. They may be of bilateral interest to one party or the other, but they do have significance beyond the region as well. In this context, a number of situations came up for discussion. Bangladesh also figured in the discussions and there was an exchange of views with regard to the situation there.”

Vikram did not elaborate further.

This was the first time that Bangladesh figured in the discussions between Modi and Biden in their first in-person bilateral meeting since the change of guard in that country after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister on August 5 in the face of students’ movement and her escape to India.

The Modi-Biden sharing views on Bangladesh came in the backdrop of reports that the chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government Prof Yunus may meet Biden in the US later this week.

The possibility of a first in-person meeting between Modi and Yunus has been dashed as the chief adviser is going to the US only after Modi returns to India from his three-day visit to the US.