Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is likely to attend the 6th Bimstec Summit in Bangkok, where he may have his first in-person meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines, according to a diplomatic source.

Thailand will host the summit and Bangladesh will take responsibility as its next chair on April 4.  A ministerial-level meeting is scheduled on April 3.

Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) Indra Mani Pandey has said Bangladesh, as the next chair of the regional organisation, will have an opportunity to "re-demonstrate to the world" its commitment to regional cooperation by leading the organisation with broader initiatives in diverse areas.

Speculation about a meeting between Yunus and Modi has surfaced in the past since Prof Yunus took charge of the interim government following the fall of the Awami League-led administration on August 5 last year. However, no such meeting has taken place due to various reasons.

In a recent interview with the BBC, Prof Yunus emphasized that Bangladesh's relationship with India is "always special," explaining that the fates of both nations are intertwined and cannot be separated.

"So, we always encourage everything to move forward in the best possible way," he said, dismissing concerns arising from misleading news reports and reiterating that such misinformation does not reflect the true nature of Bangladesh-India relations.

The chief adviser expressed confidence in the strong ties between the two countries. "We will continue to strengthen this relationship," he said, describing India as an important business partner for Bangladesh.