'His remark on India's Northeast misinterpreted': Aide of Bangladesh chief adviser Yunus

^{NEW DELHI: A senior aide of Bangladesh interim government head Muhammad Yunus said on Wednesday the Nobel laureate's remark on India's Northeast was "misinterpreted.""He (Yunus) made the statement with honest intentions. If people interpret it differently, we cannot prevent it," Khalilur Rahman, the High Representative to Bangladesh's chief adviser Yunus for the Rohingya issue and other priorities, told media persons, according to the Daily Star.Yunus made the remark during his state visit to Beijing last week.He stated, "The seven states of India, the (north)eastern part of India, are called the seven sisters. They are a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. For Bangladesh, as the only guardian of the ocean in the region, this could be a huge opportunity and an extension of the Chinese economy."The statement surfaced on social media on Monday, drawing sharp reactions from political leaders across party lines in India, who dubbed these as "shameful" and "provocative".Also Read | 'Provocative': Himanta, NE netas slam Yunus for 'gateway to ocean' remark'Reasonable grounds to be hopeful for Modi-Yunus meet'Meanwhile, on a possible meeting between the two leaders, sought by Dhaka, Rahman noted there were "reasonable grounds" to be hopeful."There is a high possibility of the meeting," he said.PM Modi and chief adviser Yunus will be in Thailand's capital Bangkok for the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit, to be held on Friday. Bangladesh has sought a meeting on the sidelines of the summit.Also Read | 'Chicken’s neck' explained: Why this narrow corridor is crucial for India’s connectivity and regional security Since the caretaker administration headed by Yunus stepped in following the ouster of the erstwhile Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the ties between the two countries have seen a slump amid India's concerns over the violence against religious minorities, including Hindus, the largest minority group in India's eastern neighbour.}