Chief Adviser of the interim government Prof. Muhammad Yunus said in an interview released on Friday that he would attempt to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York, scheduled for the end of this month.

In the interview with the PTI news agency, Yunus also said he would try to gather the heads of state of SAARC nations for a group photo.

“Obviously, we will try to meet (Prime Minister Narendra Modi). I will try if all the heads of state of SAARC nations come together and take a photo. SAARC was formed for a great cause. It now exists only on paper and is not functioning. We have forgotten the name of SAARC; I am trying to revive the spirit of SAARC,” he said in the second part of the interview.

“The SAARC summit has not taken place for quite a long time. If we come together, a lot of problems will be resolved,” Yunus said.

Modi is likely to address the UNGA on 26 September, according to a provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.   

Yunus said there should be a revival of the “spirit of SAARC” saying the eight-member bloc can solve many of the region's problems. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in Islamabad. However, after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to “prevailing circumstances”. The summit was called off as Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.

The Nobel laureate noted that although the European Union, which was formed along similar lines as SAARC, has achieved a lot through mutual cooperation, SAARC has yet to achieve the same.

“The European countries have achieved a lot through the European Union. We have to ensure that SAARC works. Look at the European Union, how brilliantly it works. If there is a problem regarding Pakistan, other ways can be worked out. But the functioning of SAARC must not stop,” he said.

Speaking on the issue of the Rohingya influx in Bangladesh, Yunus said he would seek help from India to convince Myanmar to take back its population.

Yunus also said Dhaka needs the help of both India and China to manage the crisis. “We need the help of India and China to resolve the issue. Nearly one million people have come to Bangladesh and now this population is growing. It is putting tremendous pressure on Bangladesh’s economy. Some countries are taking them but in small numbers. As India shares good relations with Myanmar, we need India’s help in convincing Myanmar to take them back,” he said.