Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said the South Asian nations should receive their shares of Covid vaccines and that too without any strings attached.
“Due to the sudden sweep over of Covid-19 cases in neighboring countries, it is imperative,” he said.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh demands Covid vaccines to be a public good and its technology should be shared and available to all countries to produce it at an affordable price.
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The Foreign Minister was addressing a webinar on “Revisiting Contemporary Peace and Security Challenges in the South Asian Region” as the chief guest organized by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
He said they have discovered with awe and disappointment that global politics and affluence-power nexus have the overpowering dominance in the global society. “We wonder if the way to procure vaccines would be smooth at all as the bilateral cooperation is not the only deciding factor.”
BIISS Director General Maj Gen Md Emdad Ul Bari delivered the welcome address while BIISS Chairman M Fazlul Karim chaired the session and delivered the introductory remarks.
In the webinar five papers were presented. Professor Imtiaz Ahmed, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka presented a paper on “Contemporary Geopolitical Competitions in the South Asian Region”.
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A paper titled “Inter and Intra-State Conflicts in South Asia (Indo-China, Indo-Pak Border Conflicts and Bangladesh-Myanmar Border Issues)” was presented by Professor Rashed Uz Zaman, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka.
Brig Gen Monirul Islam Akand, Director, Overseas Operations Directorate, Army Headquarters delivered a presentation on “Peacekeeping Challenges in the Present Time: Bangladesh Perspective”.
A paper titled “Recent Trends in Terrorism and Violent Extremism” was presented by Md. Monirul Islam, Additional Inspector General of Police, Bangladesh Police Special Branch) while M Ashique Rahman, Research Fellow, BIISS presented a paper on “Covid-19 and the Geopolitical Changes in South Asia”.
Dr Momen said the pandemic illustrated that political leaders, scientists, and citizens cannot operate in isolation during health crises.
Rather, he said, health emergencies must be viewed as global security crises that require coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders.
To obtain the full health, societal, and economic benefits of vaccines, programs must be coordinated, inclusive, and equitable. Stronger regional and international cooperation is necessary in the coming days for mitigating the impact of the pandemic and for the rebuilding phase, Dr Momen said.