Questions remain about the Modi-Yunus meeting ahead of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.

• BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is holding its sixth summit in a physical format.
• The last in-person summit was held in Kathmandu in 2018.
• The fifth BIMSTEC summit was held virtually in 2022, under Sri Lanka’s leadership.
• The theme for this year’s summit is “prosperous, resilient, and open BIMSTEC.”
• The summit will lead to the adoption of the Declaration of 5th BIMSTEC and an agreement on maritime transport cooperation.
• Plans are underway for a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Professor Yunus.
• The summit is held amid the devastating earthquake in Myanmar.
• BIMSTEC framed a common charter in 2022, but bilateral relations remain a concern.