As development becomes the primary focus, nations attempt to advance their interests through multilateral regional and international cooperation. Even States that have traditionally been sovereignty sensitive, at least in terms of integrating themselves through roads, today, are trying to negotiate multilateral economic arrangements that include transit and transportation across their national boundaries.

Bangladesh, which has traditionally opposed such an idea on the grounds of sovereignty and security, is slowly adjusting to this phenomenon. As a part of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway networks it is imperative that Dhaka considers this issue pragmatically.

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