The first diplomatic mission of the future state of Bangladesh was founded in
Kolkata on 18 April 1971 after
M Hossain Ali, the deputy high commissioner of Pakistan, and the other ethnic Bengali staff at the mission defected to the
Bangladeshi provisional government amidst a spate of similar defections around the world during the
Bangladesh Liberation War. Although it was not officially recognized by India at the time, it was allowed to function under Bangladeshi control. Another mission in New Delhi was opened ten days later with the knowledge of the Indian
Ministry of External Affairs. Later that year, offices similar to trade missions were opened in countries such as the
Soviet Union,
Czechoslovakia, and
Romania to represent Bangladesh until the country gained diplomatic recognition. In recent years, the government had decided to expand the country's diplomatic network to increase international trade and better serve Bangladeshis abroad, with plans to open over twenty new missions by the end of 2021 and add over thirty diplomatic missions by 2024. == Current missions ==