Bangladesh's decision to skip the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi on 12–13 September 2026 has drawn sharp criticism, with a report in Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Sun calling the move a costly diplomatic misstep that is difficult to reconcile with the country's national interests. The absence left Dhaka on the sidelines of one of the most consequential multilateral gatherings of the year.

The Invitation Controversy

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir had justified the absence by stating that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was not invited to the summit in his capacity as Prime Minister, but rather as chair of BIMSTEC. The Daily Sun report described these remarks as 'particularly unfortunate,' arguing that the procedural distinction was treated as grounds for non-participation when it should have been seen as an additional reason to attend.

'Bangladesh's position as BIMSTEC chair should have made the invitation more valuable, not less,' the report stated. Instead, critics argue, the BIMSTEC dimension was reduced to a technicality.

Missed Opportunities at the Summit Table

The 18th BRICS Summit brought together Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other major global leaders — a concentration of diplomatic firepower that, according to the report, cannot easily be replicated through formal bilateral channels or diplomatic notes exchanged months later.

According to the report, Dhaka could have used the occasion to advance discussions on trade, investment, energy security, infrastructure financing, technology, climate finance, and supply-chain diversification. The Rohingya crisis — one of Bangladesh's most pressing foreign policy challenges — was another issue that could have been raised with multiple stakeholders simultaneously.

'Dhaka could have used the occasion to project itself as an important voice for the Bay of Bengal region. It could have placed BIMSTEC more prominently on the international agenda,' the report noted, adding that the opportunity to engage simultaneously with India, China, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Gulf states, and African economies was squandered.

Protocol Over Outcomes: A Critique of Foreign Ministry Thinking

The Daily Sun report directed pointed criticism at what it described as a transactional, protocol-driven approach to diplomacy within Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry. 'This is the mentality of a foreign ministry measuring diplomatic importance by protocol rather than by outcomes,' the report stated.

It further warned that publicly emphasising the precise capacity in which an invitation was extended risks making Bangladesh appear 'unnecessarily thin-skinned' on the international stage. Critics argue the episode reflects a reactive posture — responding to perceived diplomatic slights — rather than a proactive, outcome-focused foreign policy.

What This Episode Reveals

The report argued that the real concern is not one missed summit, but what the absence reveals about the quality of strategic thinking guiding Dhaka's foreign policy. 'Foreign policy cannot be conducted as a series of reactions to perceived diplomatic slights, protocol disputes or narrowly interpreted invitations. It requires anticipation, imagination and the ability to see several moves ahead,' it stated.

The report concluded that Bangladesh's foreign policy should be governed by a single overriding question: whether a given engagement advances national interests. In the case of the BRICS Summit, it asserted, the answer was 'plainly yes.' With Bangladesh navigating a complex neighbourhood and pressing economic challenges, analysts say Dhaka's strategic calculus will face continued scrutiny in the months ahead.