Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne van Leeuwen has described the coming years and decades as “very promising” in terms of cooperation with Bangladesh with the larger involvement of the private sector keeping in mind the transition from aid to trade.
While delivering his keynote speech on “Bangladesh-Netherlands Relations: Prognosis for the Future” he identified the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in Bangladesh and laid emphasis on addressing those to move towards a brighter future on a win-win basis.
“So we are seeing the coming years and even decades very, very promising for a closer cooperation in the field of agri food and water management with a larger involvement of the private sector,” said ambassador Leeuwen.
Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue as part of its ongoing Ambassador's Lecture Series.
The opening remarks were delivered by Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan. The session was chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government.
Professors at Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka Dr Amena Mohsin and Dr Lailufar Yasmin; and Honorary Advisor Emeritus, Cosmos Foundation Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim comprised the panel of discussants.