It was reported by the media that India was planning to have leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries in New Delhi for the Republic Day celebrations next year

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday negated media speculations about the probable chief guest for Republic Day 2022, news agency ANI reported.

It was reported by the media that India was planning to have leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries in New Delhi for the Republic Day celebrations next year.

In response to a media report regarding the Chief Guest for Republic Day 2022, the MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We have seen a speculative media report regarding the Chief Guest for Republic Day 2022. The report is inaccurate and has no factual basis."

It is a sub regional grouping consisting of seven South Asian countries - India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

In 2020, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade while in 2021 no chief guest was invited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.