Is Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy Becoming India- and Russia-Centric?

Votes at the UN General Assembly reveal foreign-policy objectives and concerns. In March, Bangladesh, China and India along with 55 other nations abstained on a resolution suggesting Russia’s annexation of Crimea was illegal. “Dhaka claims that Bangladesh abstained because the country did not wish to get involved in the new cold war between Russia and the US because it is a strong believer of the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement,” explains Harun ur Rashid for Eurasia Review, former ambassador of Bangladesh for the United Nations. The vote continues a trend by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to maintain cooperative relations with India and Russia, both of which supported Bangladesh’s controversial election results in January while the United States and Canada have urged a mid-term poll. The writer urges more balanced policy from Bangladesh in terms of trade, security and foreign policy: “Russia does not want South Asian countries to fall into the increasing influence of the US….While Moscow looks at India’s growing influence in South Asia as a positive, China does not.” – YaleGlobal