Foreign Relations and Military

Bangladesh pursues a foreign policy which places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy, especially at the United Nations. In 1974, Bangladesh joined both the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations and has since been elected to serve two terms on theSecurity Council – in 1978–1979 and 2000–2001. In the 1980s, Bangladesh pioneered the formation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), envisioning a South Asian version of ASEAN. In more recent years, Bangladesh has revived policies of promoting regional economic integration in South Asia, as well as the wider neighborhood.

Bangladesh's most important and complex foreign relationship is with neighbouring India. The relationship is formed by historical and cultural affinities, as well as India's historic alliance with Bangladeshi nationalists during the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. However, Bangladesh-India relations have gone through several hiccups in the last forty years. A major source of tension is water-sharing on 56 common rivers, as well as border security and barriers to trade and investments. In the past, both countries have also accused each other of harbouring insurgent groups.However, the two nations recognize the importance of good relations, regional security and South Asian economic integration. For example a collaborative and comprehensive approach to managing water resources can help in conservation, harvesting, storage, irrigation innovation and changes in technology. In this context pushing for the signing of the stalled Teesta River agreement and a joint programme for conservation and augmentation will open doors to a wider cooperation in water resources between India and Bangladesh and management of all trans-boundary water resources in a holistic manner.[ They have already sought to revive relations in recent years, and have formed strategic partnerships in developing regional connectivity, infrastructure, greater trade, mutual access to markets, hydropower, energy, environmental protection and cultural projects. India's eastern states, as well as Nepal and Bhutan, are keen to gain access to Bangladesh's Chittagong and Mongla ports.

Bangladesh enjoys very warm ties with the People's Republic of China, and particularly in the last decade there has been increased economic cooperation between them. Between 2006 and 2007, trade between the two nations rose by 28.5% and there have been agreements to grant various Bangladeshi commodities tariff-free access to the Chinese market. Cooperation between the Military of Bangladesh and the People's Liberation Army is also increasing, with joint military agreements signed and Bangladesh purchasing Chinese arms which range from small arms to large naval surface combat ships such as the Chinese Type 053H1 Missile Frigate.

The United States is a major development partner of Bangladesh, providing over six billion dollars in aid since 1972. American companies are the largest foreign investors in the country, and the US is also the largest market for Bangladeshi exports. Bangladesh participated in the US-led coalition during the 1991 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait, and supports the US-led reconstruction of Afghanistan. The US Militaryhas taken part in several disaster management and relief operations in aftermath of devastating floods and cyclones to have hit Bangladesh, including Cyclone O2B and Cyclone Sidr.

Bangladesh also enjoys close ties with the European Union and Japan, involving politics, trade, development, defence, business, education and culture. It is a founding member of the Developing 8 Countries. As the world's fourth largest Muslim nation and third largest democracy in the Muslim world, it is an important member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

As of 2012, the current strength of the army is around 300,000 including reservists, the air force 22,000, and navy 24,000. In addition to traditional defence roles, the military has been called on to provide support to civil authorities for disaster relief and internal security during periods of political unrest. Bangladesh is not currently active in any ongoing war, but it contributed 2,300 troops during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and is the world's largest contributor (10,736) to UN peacekeeping forces. In May 2007, Bangladesh had major deployments in Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Timor-Leste and Côte d'Ivoire.