A BNP delegation led by its standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury met the diplomats of three Nordic countries –-Sweden, Denmark and Norway-- here on Sunday. The meeting was held at the residence of Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks in the city’s Gulshan area in the morning.  Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Hakon Arald Gulbrandsen and Deputy Head of Danish Embassy Anders B. Karlsen were present in the meeting. Two other members of the BNP delegation are Shama Obed and Barrister Kayser Kamal. BNP seeks election roadmap, new EC based on political consensus Talking to reporters after the meeting, Shama Obed said it was a breakfast meeting. “They invited us. They actually wanted to know the situation in Bangladesh following the August 05 student-people revolution,” she said. The meeting discussed what BNP thinks regarding the future of Bangladesh and how it can make a recovery from the current destroyed economic situation, said Shama Obed. 15 injured in BNP factional clash in Khulna; 4 expelled  

Nordic ambassadors stationed in Dhaka have said that their countries want to have a “stronger and sustainable” partnership with Bangladesh, exploring scopes for greater collaboration on key fronts – climate, green transition, technology transfer, healthy oceans, gender equality, trade and investment – continuing the friendship for the coming 50 years and beyond. Delivering a keynote speech at the latest instalment of Cosmos Dialogue, Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador of Norway Espen Rikter Svendsen and the Danish Ambassador Winnie Estrup Petersen also highlighted the importance of free and fair elections in Bangladesh, multilateralism, global solidarity, international law and dignified return of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cosmos Group, hosted the webinar titled “Bangladesh-Nordic Relations: Prognosis for the Partnership” as part of its ongoing Ambassador's Lecture Series. The webinar will be aired on UNB’s social media this (September 29, 2022) evening. Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan delivered the opening remarks while 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 Imtiaz Ahmed and Dr Lailufar Yasmin spoke as discussants. “We have made a remarkable journey together during these 50 years. Our partnership has been through challenges and successes. And we have stood firmly by Bangladesh’s side,” said Danish Ambassador Petersen. She said it is fair to say that the Nordic countries want to continue as trusted partners and friends to Bangladesh.

It is high time to invest in Bangladesh as the government is providing special facilities for investment, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said on Sunday addressing the representatives of Nordic countries. Bangladesh now stands on a strong economy and development is now visible here, he said. Also read: Agriculture sector may follow Spain's Almeria model: Tipu Munshi The minister made this remark at an event on ‘Foreign Direct Investment for Logistic Sector’ organised by the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with Denmark, Norway, and Sweden embassies and the head of the delegation of the European Union at Hotel Westin in Dhaka. Besides, Bangladesh will graduate from the status of the least developed country (LDC) in 2041 by achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2030, he added. The minister said Bangladesh is a big market of about 17 crore people and 45 percent of the people have better purchasing power.

Three Nordic countries - Denmark, Norway and Sweden- have assured Bangladesh of continuing their assistance for the economic development of the country. The Danish, Norwegian and Swedish ambassadors to Bangladesh -- Winnie Estrup Petersen, Espen Rikter-Svendsen and Alex Berg von Linde respectively-- said this at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday. Read: PM gives away National Film Awards to 32 winners The three diplomats jointly paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at the latter’s official residence Ganobhaban on the occasion of the 50 years of diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and Nordic countries. PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. The envoys congratulated the prime minister on the occasion of the 50 years of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the three Nordic countries. They said their countries had given recognition to Bangladesh in 1972 soon after the independence. They praised the progress of Bangladesh particularly the social development gained following the footsteps of Bangabandhu. The ambassadors highly appreciated the prime minister for providing houses to the landless and homeless people.

The Nordic countries are eyeing a stronger partnership with Bangladesh by making more investment here.

A symposium titled 'Bangladesh and Nordic Countries: Prognosis for Partnership’ will be held at Six Seasons Hotel in the city on Saturday.