UN Chief Declines Comment on Bangladesh PM's Attendance at BRICS Summit

UN General Assembly President and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Tuesday declined to comment on whether Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would attend the BRICS Summit in India later this week, after New Delhi invited him to participate in an outreach session of the grouping. India will host the annual BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with the meeting expected to deliberate on several pressing global challenges, including the economic fallout of the West Asia crisis. Responding to a question by news agency PTI on whether the Bangladeshi prime minister would attend the summit, Rahman said he was speaking in his capacity as President of the UN General Assembly and asked that bilateral issues be taken up separately in his role as foreign minister. "I'm not here in a national capacity, so please forgive me. I will really ask all of you to ask me questions or approach me in my capacity as the President of the General Assembly. If there are bilateral issues, I'm still the Foreign Minister; I'll speak to you separately," he said at a press briefing. Rahman assumed charge as President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, taking over the presidency of the world body's annual session. His remarks came amid uncertainty over Dhaka's participation in the BRICS summit, which India is hosting as the grouping's current chair.