India invites Sheikh Hasina to BRICS summit in Goa

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been invited to attend the BRICS and BRICS-BIMSTEC summit India is hosting in October, High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said.

India is the current chair of the five-country grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, accounting for 42 percent of the world population and a combined GDP of over $16 trillion.

Bangladesh is a member of the Bay of Bengal initiative, BIMSTEC.

Shringla, speaking at the National Defence College (NDC) in Dhaka, on Tuesday, said the Bangladesh prime minister had been invited to the summit to be held in Goa between Oct 15 and 16.

He, however, did not give further details in his speech on 'Contemporary India, its Foreign Policy, Security Strategy & Bangladesh-India Relations'.

NDC Commandant Lt Gen Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy was present, among others.

This was his first address to the NDC after taking up his Dhaka assignment this year.

He condemned the terrorist attacks earlier this month and said the armed forces had played “a valiant role in effectively subduing the terrorists”.

“…..we salute your contribution and commitment towards peace and stability in your country.”

The High Commissioner reiterated his Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to stand by Bangladesh in the fight against terrorism.

He said India’s foreign policy was shaped by a changing world and changing society, and that Prime Minister Modi had defined India present policy after coming to power in May 2014.

“And the policy has been more ‘proactive’, with a sense of renewed energy, vigour, and planning in India’s engagement with the rest of the world.”

He said the neighbourhood-first policy focused on the immediate region as the area of “greatest attention and emphasis”.

He also said India’s foreign policy sought “a fair and just global order” attuned to the realities of the 21st century.