Foreign relations of Bangladesh


The foreign relations of Bangladesh are Bangladesh's relationships with foreign countries. The Government of Bangladesh's policies pursue a moderate foreign policy that heavily relies on multilateral diplomacy, especially at the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has stressed its principle of "Friendship to all, malice towards none" in dictating its diplomacy. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major powers. Since the end of the Cold War, Bangladesh has pursued better relations with its neighbours and other nearby states.
The Bangladeshi government has begun to implement a foreign policy that pursues regional economic integration in South Asia and aims to establish Bangladesh as a regional hub of transit trade in Asia. Bangladesh has established official diplomatic relations with most of the members of the United Nations as well as some non-UN members like Palestine. Relations with these nations are largely cordial except for some bilateral disputes with Myanmar and Pakistan. Issues with India stem from Teesta and other river water sharing and border killings.

Policy

The foreign policy of Bangladesh consists of various strategies chosen by the Constitution and government of the country to safeguard its national interests and to achieve goals from its place on the world stage. The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs formulates and executes the policies according to the guidance from the relevant section of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
The fundamental principles of foreign policies of Bangladesh originate from Article 25 of the Constitution of Bangladesh:
"The State shall base its international relations on the principles of respect for national sovereignty and equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, peaceful settlements of international disputes, and respect for international law and the principles enunciated in the United Nations Charter, and on the basis of those principles shall-
  • Strive for the renunciation of the use of force in international relations and for general and complete disarmament;
  • Uphold the right of every people freely to determine and build up its own social, economic and political system by ways and means of its own free choice; and
  • Support oppressed peoples throughout the world waging a just struggle against imperialism, colonialism or racialism."

Participation in multilateral organisations

Commonwealth of Nations

Bangladesh, which was part of the British Raj until 1947, joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1972 after its establishment as an independent nation in 1971 from Pakistan. It has actively participated in the Heads of Government conferences that take place bi-annually.

United Nations

Bangladesh was admitted to the United Nations in 1974 and was elected to a Security Council term in 19781980 and again for a 20002002 term. Foreign Minister Mr. Humayun Rasheed Choudhury served as president of the 41st UN General Assembly in 1986.
In recent years, Bangladesh has played a significant role in international peacekeeping operations. In 2021, nearly 10,000 Bangladeshi military personnel were deployed overseas on peacekeeping operations, making it the single largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping forces. Under UN auspices, Bangladeshi troops have historically served in Somalia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Kuwait, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Haiti, and units are currently serving in Kuwait and East Timor. For example, Bangladesh responded quickly to US President Bill Clinton's 1994 request for troops and police as part of the multinational intervention to restore democracy in Haiti and provided the largest non-US contingent. As of December 2021, Bangladesh is the largest provider of UN peacekeeping troops with 6,608 personnel, followed by Rwanda with 6,335 personnel.

Non-Aligned Movement

Bangladesh was selected to provide the next chair of the Non-Aligned Movement at the organization's 2001 summit, scheduled to take place in Dhaka. However, it was later decided to host the summit at an alternative venue. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Bangladesh has adopted a principle of staying neutral in the affairs of the great powers. However, it parted from this principle by voting against North Korea at the United Nations in December 2008, under pressure from Japan.

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

See also OIC role in Pakistan-Bangladesh relationship
In 1974, then Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led a Bangladeshi delegation team consisting of Kamal Hossain, Enayet Karim, Ataur Rahman Khan, Taheruddin Thakur, Tofail Ahmed, and Shah Azizur Rahman to the international meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference held in Lahore. Following this, Bangladesh was admitted as a member of OIC. In 1977, President Ziaur Rahman amended the Constitution of Bangladesh, including a clause stating that "the state shall endeavour to consolidate, preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic solidarity". Since then, an explicit goal of Bangladeshi foreign policy has been to seek close relations with other Islamic states. In 1980, President Ziaur Rahman was included in a 3-member "Al-Quds" summit committee to attend the summit in Morocco. In 1983, Bangladesh hosted the assembled foreign ministers of the OIC in Dhaka. At the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, Bangladesh is represented in the capacity of one of the Director Generals.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The government also pursued the expansion of cooperation among the nations of South Asia, bringing the process, an initiative of former President Ziaur Rahman, through its earliest, most tentative stages to the formal inauguration of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation at a summit of South Asian leaders in Dhaka in December 1985. Bangladesh has served as the chair of SAARC and has participated in a wide range of ongoing SAARC regional activities

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is an international organisation that includes South Asian and Southeast Asian nations. The member nations of this group are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal. The organisation focuses on regional cooperation in the sectors of economics, trade, and investment.

Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation

Bangladesh is among the 8 member countries of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation. The Developing-8 is an economic alliance consisting of Islamic-majority states that focuses on development in the areas of science and technology, banking, finance, agriculture and rural development, humanitarian development, energy, the environment, health, and finance. On 14 May 2006 in Bali, Indonesia, Bangladesh was the only nation not to sign a preferential trade agreement with the other D-8 states. Bangladesh has been the incumbent chair of the Developing-8 Countries since the organization's tenth summit in Dhaka in April 2021.

Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement

The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, formerly known as the Bangkok Agreement, was signed in 1975 under one of the major initiatives taken by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Seven participating states, Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, India, Laos, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka are parties to the APTA. In 2005, Bangladesh signed the APTA agreement in order to enable it to reduce trade deficits between itself and other nations such as China, South Korea, and its neighbour India. The total APTA market includes around 2.9 billion people and, as of the fiscal year 2015–2016, a gross domestic product of around $14.6 trillion USD. APTA's objective is to hasten the economic development of the seven participating states by encouraging trade liberalisation measures.

World Trade Organization

Bangladesh is an active member of the World Trade Organization. Bangladesh has had a permanent mission in Geneva to look after matters relating to the multilateral trading system under the WTO regime since the mid-1990s.

World Customs Organization

Bangladesh is an active member of the World Customs Organization. Bangladesh has a permanent representative to the WCO, which has its headquarters in Brussels.

Like Minded Group

Bangladesh has formed an alliance with nineteen other developing countries to vote as a bloc in organisations such as the WTO and the United Nations.

Other

The government has participated in numerous international conferences, especially those dealing with population, food, development, and women's issues. In 198283, Bangladesh played a constructive role as chairman of the "Group of 77", an informal association encompassing most of the world's developing nations. It has taken a leading role in the "Group of 48", another association of developing countries. Aside from the groups detailed previously, Bangladesh also participates in the following international organisations:
ARF, AsDB, CP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, SACEP, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, and OPCW.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Bangladesh maintains diplomatic relations with:

Asia

South Asia

Bangladesh maintains friendly relations with Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India. It strongly opposed the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to facilitate land transit between the two countries.
CountryFormal relations beganNotes
Afghanistan|2013