Bangladesh's Foreign Adviser, Touhid Hossain, announced on Saturday that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will not be meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the UN General Assembly in New York. Instead, Hossain, who previously served as the country's foreign secretary, is set to hold a bilateral meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to strengthen ties between the two nations.

At a press briefing held at the foreign ministry, Hossain emphasized the importance of addressing existing tensions in Bangladesh-India relations. "We want to advance our relationship based on mutual respect and fairness," he stated, acknowledging the challenges but underscoring the desire to move forward.

He confirmed that the meeting with Jaishankar is "almost certain," noting, "We cannot simply deny the existence of issues. Our aim is to move past these tensions and establish a working relationship."

Regarding Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate who took office as Chief Adviser after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and sought refuge in India in August, Hossain explained that Yunus would be in New York after Modi's departure. Consequently, the two leaders would not have the opportunity to meet.

Hossain is scheduled to leave for New York on Sunday, while the Bangladesh delegation will depart from Dhaka on Tuesday.

When questioned about whether the lack of a scheduled meeting was related to statements made by the interim government, Hossain remarked that political leaders often make comments that may not align with each other's views, but this should not hinder diplomatic engagements. "We cannot change our neighbors, but we can coexist and strive for a good relationship," he concluded.