DHAKA: The diplomatic calendar of India Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi shows that Bangladesh is not included in his list of official visits in next one year.

As well as there will be no diplomatic talks over Teesta water sharing deal too early from the end of Narendra Modi as he is going to have a very busy time to hit the ground running where India’s global engagement is concerned. 

The calendar depicts that barely a month after the new government takes shape, the Indian premier will be in Rio, Brazil in July for the BRICS summit — the first time the new leader will engage with the world, fittingly with other developing nations.  

This will be the first time the new PM will meet with Xi of China, Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Vladimir Putin of Russia. 

Modi will have an opportunity to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at least three times between June and December apart from a possible visit by Xi to India later this year. In comparison, he will have barely a couple of potential "pull asides" or bilateral meetings with US President Barack Obama.

This will be followed by the UN general assembly in September, which will be a sort of coming out party for the Indian PM. Given the high decibel elections, there will be huge international interest in meeting the person in charge. 

In November, the new PM will engage with his Asian neighbours at the East Asia Summit which will be held in Myanmar. This will be followed by the G20 summit in Brisbane where the Indian PM will have an opportunity to present his economic vision.

At both these multilateral events, the new Indian leader has the opportunity to meet the Chinese president again. The Chinese government has indicated to the foreign ministry that Xi could visit India later this year for a bilateral summit. The Indian Vice-President is likely to travel to China earlier which may be followed by a Xi visit.

The EAS and G20 will also give the Indian PM an opportunity to meet Obama. If the next prime minister is indeed Narendra Modi, a meeting with the US president will have other implications, given the decade-long visa ban on Modi.

Interestingly, the new PM is scheduled to travel out for two important bilateral visits — to Japan and to Russia. Shiinzo Abe was not only chief guest at Republic Day this year, India and Japan are transforming their bilateral relationship in a way that will have important implications for India's own evolution as well as Asian power equations. India and Japan have instituted an annual summit routine, which have held even during the years when Japan changed prime ministers every few months.

Its also the turn of Putin to trek to India for the annual India-Russia summit. The agreement for Kudankulam 3 and 4 may well be inked before the next government assumes office, but Russia will remain an important partner, particularly as Putin will probably once again become a western pariah.

If Narendra Modi visits Bangladesh recently or sign much-awaited Teesta deal, that will be absolutely an incident out of his diplomatic calendar for the upcoming year.

BDST: 1247 HRS, MAY 25, 2014