India on Tuesday said Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had received two separate invitations, one for a bilateral visit and another to attend the BRICS Summit as chair of BIMSTEC.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued the clarification hours after Dhaka said the BRICS invitation had been extended to Bangladesh as BIMSTEC chair and not to Rahman as Prime Minister.

“We had invited the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a bilateral visit. Subsequently, he was also invited to attend the BRICS Summit in his capacity as the chair of BIMSTEC. Therefore, he had received two invitations,” Jaiswal said in response to a question from ANI.

Rahman did not attend the recently concluded BRICS Summit despite Bangladesh currently chairing the BIMSTEC, a multilateral organisation comprising seven nations situated around the Bay of Bengal.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Rahman had skipped the summit because Dhaka wanted to rebuild ties with India through direct bilateral talks rather than at a multilateral forum.

“We want to move towards a new relationship, which should be done through bilateral discussions, not through a multilateral forum,” he said.

Kobir also said Rahman’s visit to India would take place only when both countries agreed on a suitable schedule, adding that Dhaka was not in a hurry to finalise it.

“The visit will take place when the timing is conducive and when discussions lead to a mutually acceptable timeframe. Once both sides agree on a suitable schedule, the visit will happen,” he said.

The exchange comes as ties between the two neighbours remain strained following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister in August 2024.

Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition and objected to her continuing political activities from India.

Bangladesh has said it wants to “reset” ties with India and develop a new relationship based on mutual interests. It has also described the relationship during Hasina’s tenure as “uncomfortable”.