Dhaka anticipates a bilateral meeting between Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BIMSTEC summit of seven countries, which is scheduled for November.

Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain made the remark on Tuesday during a press conference on Bangladesh's participation in the UN General Assembly and current challenges.

He also stated that he met with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New York but was unable to arrange a high-level meeting since Prime Minister Modi had departed the city the day before Dr Yunus' arrival.

Modi will not attend the Commonwealth summit scheduled for October 21-26 in Apia, Samoa as he will be attending the BRICS summit instead, which is important for them.

Additionally, Dr Yunus will also not attend the Commonwealth summit.

Touhid Hossain indicated that there may be a possibility next month during the BIMSTEC summit.

Although the date is not finalized, it is expected to be in November, where there may be bilateral meetings, he said.

He also mentioned that they will try to address mutual concerns through various levels of communication.

The summit was initially scheduled in September.

BIMSTEC stands for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, and it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as member states.

Established on June 6, 1997, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration, BIMSTEC is the only organization, which brings together five countries from South Asia and two countries from Southeast Asia.

Together they account for 22% of the world population, and combined GDP is $4.5 trillion.

Following a decision at the Third BIMSTEC Summit in 2014, the BIMSTEC Secretariat was established in Dhaka, in that same year, providing an institutionalized framework for deepening and enhancing cooperation.

Seven countries lead seven sectors – Bangladesh leads trade, investment and development, including blue economy, while Bhutan leads environment and climate change, including mountain economy, India leads security, including energy and disaster management, Myanmar leads agriculture and food security, including fisheries and livestock, Nepal leads people-to-people contact, including poverty alleviation, Sri Lanka leads science, technology and innovation, including health and human resource development, and Thailand connectivity.

Following the conference, Bangladesh will assume the chairmanship.