State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has said Bangladesh, empowered by the peaceful resolution of its maritime disputes, is looking to benefit from the resources of the Bay of Bengal in an environmentally-friendly manner.

He made the remark while speaking as the chief guest at a conference titled “Inspired by Bangabandhu’s Vision of Regional and Global Peace: Envisaging Regional Peace and Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal''.

The conference was organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies (CBoBS) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) on Tuesday at the IUB auditorium in the city.

The hybrid event, with actual and web-based participation, was a curtain-raiser for the World Peace Conference being convened by the government of Bangladesh in Dhaka December 4-6, 2021 to highlight and carry forward Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s vision of world peace.

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The State Minister said from the production of clean energy to the development of new and sustainable industries in fields as diverse as bio-tech and aquaculture, Bangladesh needs to invest in knowledge, develop marine sector skills, and encourage innovation and business.

In his video message, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Dr Gowher Rizvi said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s dream to build ‘Sonar Bangla’ was predicated on ensuring a regional and global environment of peace.

“Towards this end, he articulated in his foreign policy the cardinal principle of friendship to all, malice towards none,” he said.

IUB Vice-Chancellor Tanweer Hasan said IUB has embraced the government’s agenda of inclusion of all in education irrespective of gender, socio-economic and religious background.

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“We are a campus that promotes diversity. And that is how we believe we are helping realize the dreams of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who fought for peace, harmony and equal rights for all people.”