Bangladesh’s decision to skip the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi marks a significant diplomatic misstep that intensifies the ongoing strain in its bilateral relations with India. Following the political transition in Dhaka, the newly formed government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has adopted a rigid approach toward its northern neighbour. This posture is driven by unresolved domestic grievances, notably India’s granting of political asylum to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and its refusal to deport her.
Dhaka’s primary misstep regarding the summit stems from a hyper-fixation on diplomatic protocol at the expense of strategic engagement. India extended an invitation to Prime Minister Rahman to attend the multilateral event as the chairperson of BIMSTEC. However, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong disappointment, interpreting the invitation to a regional chair rather than a direct personal invitation to Bangladesh’s head of government as a diplomatic slight.
By completely bypassing the summit, Dhaka squandered a vital pathway to mend ties with New Delhi. The multilateral environment of a BRICS outreach session offered a neutral ground to initiate an early, non-binding dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Instead, Dhaka insisted that its very first engagement with India must be a high-stakes, exclusive bilateral visit, closing the door on a softer, incremental approach to resetting ties.
Furthermore, the government exacerbated the diplomatic friction by linking its summit absence to a punitive review of bilateral cooperation. Following the invitation row, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief whip announced that Dhaka is reviewing 101 past agreements signed with India. Labelling these foundational treaties as “unethical agreements” that compromise sovereignty, Bangladesh is signalling a transactional and hostile posture.
This multi-layered approach has alienated Bangladesh from critical international spaces. The BRICS platform would have enabled Dhaka to engage directly with prominent global leaders like China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, while positioning the country as an active voice within the Global South.
Ultimately, Bangladesh’s decision to weaponise its absence and threaten long-standing bilateral treaties over perceived protocol grievances highlights a short-sighted foreign policy. Rather than projecting sovereign strength, Dhaka has isolated itself from a crucial geopolitical forum and deepened mistrust with its most vital geographic and economic neighbour.
