Bangladesh Missed an Important BRICS Opportunity
Bangladesh missed an important diplomatic opportunity by not attending the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi on September 12–13.
At a time when the world is becoming more multipolar and developing countries are demanding a greater voice in global affairs, Bangladesh chose not to participate in a meeting that brought together some of the world's most important political and economic powers.
Why Was Bangladesh Invited?
Bangladesh currently chairs BIMSTEC, a regional organization that includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Because of this role, India invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS Outreach session as the BIMSTEC chair. India also separately invited him for a bilateral visit. Indian officials made clear that these were two different invitations.
However, Bangladesh decided that Rahman would not attend the BRICS gathering.
The government argued that there was no reason to send a representative because the invitation was made to Rahman as the BIMSTEC chair, rather than specifically as Bangladesh's prime minister.
From a strict diplomatic-protocol point of view, this may seem reasonable. But international diplomacy is about more than titles and formal invitations.
The bigger question should have been:
Could Bangladesh's national interests have benefited from attending?
Why Was the BRICS Summit Important?
BRICS has grown considerably since it was originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China.
South Africa joined in 2010, and the group later expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
The 2026 New Delhi summit therefore brought together countries with huge populations, economies, energy resources and geopolitical influence. Leaders such as China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and India's Narendra Modi were among the major participants.
BRICS is not a military alliance, and its members do not agree on everything. India and China have their own strategic disagreements, while Russia, Iran and the UAE have different relationships with Western countries.
But that is exactly why diplomatic engagement is important.
Countries do not attend international meetings only when they agree with everyone else. They attend because these meetings create opportunities to:
- Meet important governments
- Find new investors
- Explore new markets
- Discuss development financing
- Build political relationships
- Exchange information
- Discuss energy and technology
- Increase diplomatic influence
For Bangladesh, these opportunities could have been valuable.
Bangladesh Is Already Connected to the BRICS Economic System
Bangladesh is not completely outside the BRICS economic system.
In September 2021, Bangladesh became a member of the New Development Bank (NDB), which was created by the BRICS countries to finance infrastructure and sustainable-development projects in emerging and developing countries.
By June 30, 2026, the bank had approved 141 projects worth approximately $44 billion, with around $25 billion already disbursed.
This is particularly relevant to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh needs investment for:
- Roads and transport
- Ports and logistics
- Energy
- Industrial infrastructure
- Climate adaptation
- Water management
- Urban development
- Digital infrastructure
The country also needs new export markets and more foreign investment.
Therefore, a meeting involving major economies and financial institutions connected to these areas could have provided useful opportunities.
Of course, simply attending a summit would not guarantee investment or a major diplomatic agreement.
But the important question is:
What did Bangladesh gain by staying away?
BIMSTEC Could Have Helped Bangladesh
Bangladesh's position as the current chair of BIMSTEC made the opportunity even more important.
Instead of attending only as Bangladesh, the country could have presented itself as the representative of a wider Bay of Bengal region.
Bangladesh could have used the opportunity to promote:
- Regional connectivity
- Trade
- Energy cooperation
- Maritime cooperation
- Climate financing
- Infrastructure development
- The Rohingya issue
The invitation gave Bangladesh a reason to be present in the room with some of the world's most influential countries.
Instead, the debate focused heavily on whether Tarique Rahman had been invited as Bangladesh's prime minister or as BIMSTEC chair.
But strategically, Bangladesh could have looked at the invitation differently:
The BIMSTEC chairmanship was not a problem. It was an opportunity.
Diplomacy Is About More Than Formal Invitations
International diplomacy does not happen only during official speeches.
Important discussions often happen informally.
Leaders meet privately. Ministers exchange contacts. Officials develop relationships. Business representatives meet potential partners. These conversations can later lead to agreements and cooperation.
Such benefits are difficult to measure, but they are an important part of diplomacy.
By attending the summit, Bangladesh could have spoken with India while also engaging China, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Gulf countries and other emerging economies.
It could have discussed:
- Trade
- Investment
- Energy
- Technology
- Climate finance
- Infrastructure
- Supply-chain diversification
Most importantly, Bangladesh could have shown that it wants good relations with different centers of global power.
Attending BRICS Does Not Mean Choosing Sides
One possible misunderstanding is that attending a BRICS event would automatically mean becoming anti-Western or supporting China or Russia.
That is not necessarily true.
Engagement does not mean alignment.
A country can cooperate with China while maintaining relations with the United States and Europe. It can work with India while maintaining independent foreign-policy positions. It can engage Russia and other emerging economies without joining any political or military bloc.
In fact, an independent foreign policy usually requires a country to maintain more diplomatic relationships, not fewer.
The Sheikh Hasina Issue
The decision also came at a difficult time in Bangladesh-India relations because of the continuing dispute involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who remains in India.
Bangladesh has requested her extradition, while India has indicated that the matter involves legal and bilateral processes.
This has become one of the most difficult issues between the two countries.
Bangladesh has also indicated that Tarique Rahman's first visit to India should preferably happen as a bilateral visit, rather than through a multilateral event.
There is a reasonable diplomatic argument for keeping sensitive bilateral negotiations separate from multilateral meetings.
However, the two approaches do not necessarily have to conflict.
Rahman could have attended the BRICS Outreach session while still keeping the option of a separate bilateral visit to India.
In international diplomacy, countries often maintain communication even while serious disagreements remain unresolved.
What Should Bangladesh Do in the Future?
The biggest lesson from this situation is not simply whether Bangladesh made the correct decision about one invitation.
The bigger question is whether Bangladesh's foreign policy is taking full advantage of every opportunity available to the country.
The global balance of economic and political power is changing. Asia and the wider Global South are becoming increasingly important, while new financial institutions and international groupings are gaining influence.
Bangladesh should therefore ask a simple question whenever an international opportunity appears:
Does participating help Bangladesh's national interests?
If the answer is yes, Bangladesh should seriously consider participating—even if the invitation does not come in the perfect format.
Conclusion
The BRICS Outreach session could not have guaranteed Bangladesh a major investment deal, solved the Bangladesh-India dispute or produced an immediate diplomatic breakthrough.
But attending would have given Bangladesh access to major powers, emerging economies, financial institutions and regional partners—all in one place.
The most striking point is that BRICS did not shut Bangladesh out. Bangladesh chose not to attend.
For a country with Bangladesh's strategic location, growing economy and important regional role, diplomatic opportunities should be approached with pragmatism and long-term thinking.
Bangladesh should aim to build more relationships, participate in more international platforms and keep more strategic options open.
In today's increasingly competitive and multipolar world, influence is built through continuous presence.
Diplomatic opportunities do not last forever. When the next important opportunity comes, Bangladesh should make sure it is in the room.
0 Comments