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New Delhi: India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi in September, a Bangladeshi minister said on Thursday, in what could mark the first visit by the BNP leader to India since taking office earlier this year.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said the foreign ministry had received the invitation letter from the Indian side and forwarded it to the Prime Minister’s Office.

India is scheduled to host the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.

If confirmed and accepted, Tarique’s participation would provide the first opportunity for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party returned to power following the parliamentary elections in February.

Responding to questions on relations with India, Obaed said Bangladesh wanted “peace and stability” in the region.

“As a democratic state with a democratically elected government, we want to see peace and stability in our region,” she said. “We expect India, as a large democratic state and democratic government, will look into their people’s issues and will walk towards a solution.”

Obaed did not say whether Bangladesh had accepted the invitation, while India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately confirm that an invitation had been extended.

India had particularly close ties with the previous Awami League government........

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