India seeks to mend Bangladesh ties with coronavirus vaccine diplomacy

India is expected to reassure Bangladesh it will prioritize the supply of Covid-19 vaccines to its South Asian neighbor, part of its vaccine outreach to counter China’s rising influence in the region.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina are scheduled to meet Thursday in a virtual summit -- the first high-level meeting of the leaders from the two countries since relations nosedived when India passed its controversial religion-based citizenship law late last year.

The new law fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from three neighboring nations including Bangladesh. Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan had both