State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said the Bangladesh government is persistently working to consolidate relations with neighbours for regional stability, shared prosperity, and mutual development. Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar, he emphasised strengthening bilateral relations with neighbours through promoting partnership and cooperation, increasing trade and commerce, pursuing cooperation in the water and power sector, enhancing connectivity, collaborating on capacity building for people-to-people contact and underscored the importance of humanitarian assistance to demonstrate soft power. Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the seminar on ‘Strengthening Bangladesh’s Foreign Relations with Neighbours in the Evolving Global Order’ The State Minister Bangladesh’s principal foreign policy – friendship to all, malice towards none- will remain intact whatever the global order is shifting towards. Read more: Pilot project of Rohingya repatriation to be executed at an early date, hopes Shahriar “Our principal position - friendship to all, malice towards none- will remain intact, no matter what happens,” he said. The state minister said that Bangladesh would also never compromise in the areas of its founding principles - nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism. “Keeping those intact, Bangladesh will continue its resources … we have large Bangladeshi diaspora .. we do have, of course, some soft power,” he said. Alam said Bangladesh would continue to expand its relationship that has already established as a good neighbour in its neighbourhood. “We (also) hope that our neighbours will try to reciprocate that with best of their ability,” he said adding that these are more relevant when the world is undergoing a complex situation condition  

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said there is a growing need for research in strategic studies involving changing environments, especially in this time due to the fact that they are living in an “increasingly competitive and complex” global situation. “Our geopolitical location as a basin country of the Bay of Bengal is a determining factor influencing our domestic and international affairs,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a programme titled “BIISS Research Colloquium 2022” organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its BIISS auditorium. Momen said from the view point of various strategic and economic perspectives the geopolitical significance of the Bay of Bengal can be analysed and welcomed more such creative research papers in future. The Foreign Minister said the rise of new actors, notably India and China, pose both intellectual and policy challenges which require more “informed” thinking. “In a changing world, the field must adopt a truly global outlook, if it is to remain relevant. Relatedly, there is a need to move beyond the dominance of American and British perspectives,” he said. Read more: Bangladesh considering ‘pros and cons’ of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework: Momen In recent days, Momen said, the Cold War is reappearing and forcing polarization. In the Indo-Pacific region, attempts are being made to polarize the region. He said strategic research, backed by facts and insights, can help the government to plan and implement its survival and growth strategies. “It assists us in understanding hidden opportunities from multiple perspectives, such as geopolitical situations, a nation’s inclination, its political alignment strategies etc,” he said. “We have to remember that the Great Powers enjoy strong research and think-tanks. Therefore, we also have to take efficient steps in terms of research and education in the field of strategic studies,” Momen said. BIISS Chairman Ambassador Kazi Imtiaz Hossain chaired the inaugural session and its Director General Major General Sheikh Pasha Habib Uddin delivered the welcome remarks. The colloquium was divided into three sessions under a specific theme and in each session, three papers were presented by the BIISS officers.

State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam Thursday called for setting up a separate ministry or a separate division under the Ministry of Science and Technology to ensure proper use of the blue economy through resource exploration and resource exploitation. He was addressing the hybrid seminar "Blue Economy and Maritime Security: Bangladesh Perspective" organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS). The state minister emphasised the contribution of the blue economy to Bangladesh's future sustainable development efforts. He also highlighted the importance of knowledge mobilisation and conducting research on the area. Major General Mohammad Maksudur Rahman, director general of BIISS, emphasised creating a blue economy belt to use the huge untapped resources of the vast area of the sea. Rear Admiral Md Khurshed Alam (retired), secretary at the Maritime Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the seminar as a special guest. Ambassador Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, chairman of BIISS, chaired the inaugural session. Dhaka University Professor Delwar Hossain, Jahangirnagar University Professor Abul Kalam Azad, BIISS Research Director Mahfuz Kabir, and Research Fellow Moutusi Islam also spoke at the seminar.                                    

Kazi Imtiaz Hossain has been appointed as Chairman of the Board of Governors of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) for two years. He will join once the current Chairman's tenure expires. The Public Administration Ministry has issued a gazette notification confirming his contractual appointment. Read 46% people don’t get social safety allowance: Dr Shamsul Alam Imtiaz Hossain is now on Post Retirement Leave (PRL) and most recently served as Bangladesh Ambassador to France. Ambassador Imtiaz Hossain concurrently served as Permanent Delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO. Before taking up his assignment in Paris, Ambassador Hossain, who is a carrier diplomat, was Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia with concurrent accreditation to New Zealand and Fiji from 2014. Read BGMEA delegation meets BEZA chairman over allocation for 'garment village' He has also served as Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand with concurrent accreditation to Cambodia and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP from 2010 to 2014.  Following his new appointment, his PRL and relevant facilities will remain suspended, said the Ministry.

Mentioning that around 46 percent people are deprived of social safety allowance, senior secretary and member of the General Economics Division (GED) of the Bangladesh Planning Commission Dr Shamsul Alam on Sunday hoped that all the poor people would come under social safety programmes soon.

Bangladesh remained steadfast in Bangabandhu’s path of peace and continued its engagements with Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis in a peaceful manner, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said on Sunday.

Speakers at a webinar on Wednesday said undertaking multiple policy initiatives focusing on the economic and social recovery becomes essential. 

Economists say implementation of the ‘loan dependant’ budget for 2020-21 fiscal year will be a big challenge for the government as the collection of revenue has shrunk amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Speakers at a workshop urged the government to relax tax policy and its structure in a short time to build tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040.