Ambassador of China to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Saturday said Bangladesh and China "should deepen the strategic partnership" for cooperation and explore new growth points. "China is willing to work with Bangladesh to continue exploring cooperation opportunities under the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI)," he said. In particular, the ambassador said, they are willing to promote upgrading of industries and digitalization process in Bangladesh, and to improve the quality and competitiveness of “Made in Bangladesh”. He was delivering keynote speech at a symposium as part of the Cosmos Dialogue Ambassadors’ Lecture Series entitled "Bangladesh-China Relations: Prognosis for the Future" at a hotel in Dhaka. The discussion was chaired and conducted by President of Cosmos Foundation and renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury. While delivering the welcome remarks, Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan said Bangladesh and China are moving closer together as friends on the international stage. The ties received a major boost during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to China in 2019 and the watershed point of this transformation was President Xi Jinping’s all-important visit to Bangladesh in 2016, he said, adding that this heralded the beginning of the “strategic partnership”. "It is a great source of inspiration to Bangladeshis as we witness China’s peaceful rise. We know from President Xi that the Chinese people have a dream; so do we in Bangladesh as we strive to achieve middle-income status, of which we are on the cusp," Khan said. "It is my firmest conviction that ties with China will continue to form the bedrock of our efforts to fulfill these aspirations," he added. Dr Iftekhar Chowdhury said it appears to all of them that China is rising; and the Chinese saw this as a peaceful rise. “Now, being even more careful, they no longer talk of ‘peaceful rise’ but only peaceful development,” he said, adding that established global powers, of course, see this as a threat. Referring to PM Hasina’s visit to Beijing in 2014 and President Xi’s visit to Bangladesh in 2016, he said these visits saw an “all-weather” friendship elevate to a strategic partnership. Dr Iftekhar said Bangladesh-China relations are, therefore, emerging as an equation in the diplomatic calculations in Asia that will not fully show for itself tomorrow, nor the day after but in the long run in a continent where time for many is not the essence. Also Read:Momen sees hope for Rohingyas' repatriation in latest Chinese initiative Ambassador Yao said his country has noticed the “Indo-Pacific Outlook of Bangladesh” released recently, and believes that many of its ideas are similar to those of China.    

The 'geopolitical contest' between the United States and China will only grow in intensity over the next 10 years, affecting billions around the globe, while countries like Bangladesh will face great challenges in managing all its impacts.  That is according to the renowned author, diplomat and geopolitical consultant Kishore Mahbubani, who delivered the keynote address at the latest edition of the Cosmos Dialogue at a city hotel on Sunday. “No matter where you live, no matter what you do, your lives will be affected or disrupted by this geopolitical contest. I can guarantee you,” said Mahbubani, former Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore.  Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue titled “Emerging Asian Nations in Global Geopolitics: Implications for Bangladesh” as part of its Distinguished Speakers’ Series, chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury,  ex-permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN in New York, as well as advisor on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government.  The opening remarks were delivered by Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan.  Mahbubani, an analyst with unrivalled access to policymakers in Beijing and Washington, said the world is in a difficult and complex situation, and termed the contest between the USA and China as the 'biggest since the beginning of history' - given the sheer size, scale and influence of the contestants.    As a result, Mahbubani, who served two stints as Singapore's permanent representative to the UN, including a spell as president of the Security Council between 2001 and 2002, said Bangladesh will face difficulties and challenges as it wants to have good ties with both the US and China.  He said the situation is a bit harder in South Asia due to the absence of any effective regional association like ASEAN. With SAARC proving ineffective, Mahbubani believes how India handles the fallout of the US-China contest would have bearing on Bangladesh.  

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.

A webinar titled “Bangladesh-Nordic Relations: Prognosis for the Future” will air on UNB’s social media Thursday evening, at 7:30pm.    Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh Espen Rikter-Svendsen and Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh Winnie Estrup Petersen will jointly deliver the keynote speech at the webinar. Read: BIPSS & Cosmos sign MoU on holding roundtable talks on urgent issues Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, is hosting the dialogue as part of its ongoing Ambassador's Lecture Series. Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan will deliver the opening remarks while the session will be 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 will join as discussants.  

Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, will host a dialogue titled “Bangladesh-Indonesia Relations: Prognosis for the Future” to be premiered on Wednesday evening. Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Heru H Subolo will deliver the keynote speech at the latest episode of Cosmos Dialogue. Also read:US ambassador voices concern over DSA in Bangladesh It will be held as part of Cosmos Foundation's ongoing Ambassador's Lecture Series. The opening remarks will be delivered by Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan. The session will be chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government. Professor at Department of International Relations, Dhaka University Dr Lailufar Yasmin, Honorary Advisor Emeritus, Cosmos Foundation Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim and Dhaka Courier Executive Editor Shayan S Khan will join as the panel of discussants. Also read:Washington in touch with Dhaka on newly launched IPEF: US embassy spokesperson Bangladesh and Indonesia celebrate the 50 years of bilateral relations this year.

Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, will host a dialogue titled “Bangladesh-Switzerland Relations: Prognosis for the Future” that will be premiered on social media on Wednesday evening (7pm).   Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard will deliver the keynote speech at the virtual dialogue highlighting the beginning of the relationship, how did the two countries get from there to 50-year long journey and what the future could hold for the bilateral relations. Also read:Noted artists celebrate Spring at ‘The Passion of Drawing’ by Gallery Cosmos The dialogue is part of Cosmos Foundation’s ongoing Ambassador's Lecture Series. Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan will deliver the opening remarks at the dialogue. The session will be chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government. Former Managing Director & CEO of Mutual Trust Bank Limited Anis A. Khan, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Fahmida Khatun and Honorary Advisor Emeritus, Cosmos Foundation Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim will comprise the panel of discussants. Also read: Cosmos-Atelier 71 hosts Artist Residency Programme Cosmos-Atelier 71 hosts Artist Residency Programme The year 2022 is seen as very special for both Bangladesh and Switzerland as they celebrate 50 years of their bilateral ties. Switzerland considers this (50 years ties) as an important milestone and it marks their “solid and long-standing” partnership and it is a key moment of their journey together.

Malaysia’s strong support to Bangladesh in the Rohingya crisis was lauded at a webinar that focused on shared heritage and extremely good relations between the two Muslim-majority countries. The webinar titled “Bangladesh-Malaysia Relations: Prognosis for the Future” was hosted by Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cosmos Group. 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 adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government. Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim was the keynote speaker at the dialogue that will premiere on Thursday evening. Ambassador (retd) Farooq Sobhan, Yanitha Meena, a researcher in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies programme of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Dhaka University Professor Imtiaz Ahmed and Dhaka University Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumiir were panel discussants. Read: Cosmos dialogue on Bangladesh-South Korea relations to be premiered Thursday The Chair, Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury , described the excellent bilateral relations as “unsurprising”, given the commonalities of values between the two Muslim-majority nations. “We look to Malaysia to keep up the sharp focus on the Rohingya issue in ASEAN, as well as in other regional fora” he said. Dr Chowdhury commended the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for describing the atrocities perpetrated by Myanmar authorities’ as “genocide”. He reflected on the possibility of the events of ethnic cleansing and other crimes triggering the principle of “the responsibly to protect” in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Highlighting the Bangladesh-Malaysia relations, he said the two countries will need to work closely together, to ensure the survival of a rule-based global community, after the” double whammy” of Covid and the crisis in Europe. High Commissioner Haznah, in her key-note address, stressed that Malaysia and Bangladesh should capitalise on the existing strong relations between the two countries. She recalled her country’s long relations with Bangladesh in trade and investment, education, culture, tourism as well as technical assistance. Read: Cosmos Dialogue on Dhaka-Washington ties premieres Saturday on Facebook Bangladesh, the high commissioner noted, was currently Malaysia’s 30th largest trading partner, and ranked second among South Asian countries. Haznah hoped that the bilateral trade value between Malaysia and Bangladesh would reach the figure of up to USD 4 billion in five years. The ultimate goal, she believed, should be the establishment of a Free Trade Agreement to strengthen and diversify bilateral economic relations between the two nations. The high commissioner listed the areas like defence, aero-space and food security where bilateral cooperation could also be enhanced. About the Rohingya issue, she assured that Malaysia will remain one of the strongest supporters of Bangladesh in raising it in multilateral forums. In his remarks Farooq Sobhan said Bangladesh needs to focus much more on its Look East policy. “The centrepiece of this Look East policy, in my view, is our relations with ASEAN in particular,” he observed. Recalling significant landmark bilateral visits in the past, Farooq Sobhan stressed the continued need for such interactions. Read: Cosmos Dialogue on Bangladesh’s ties with Nordic countries Saturday Dr Imtiaz proposed floating a new platform between the two States, similar to the “Bangladesh-India Foundation, for consolidating mutual  cooperation further. He said it can be a public-private partnership. “We can invite some private entrepreneurs as well to build the foundation.” Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir highlighted the issue of FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP to deepen the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. Currently, he said most of the important Asian state-players have joined RCEP and it was expected that these growing economies of Asia will dominate the global market in the next decade. He focused on transparent, fair and safe migration that complied with the provisions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Malaysian researcher Yanitha Meena said Malaysia and Bangladesh had  signed an agreement on labour recruitment which is a very important part of the relationship between the two friendly nations. “It’s the right step and a highly appreciated part of our relations. This does not come without challenges, as we have seen that there are several challenges to actually come to labour relations,” she added. Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan said it is notable how Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur have remained truly 'all-weather' friends and allies for half a century. She lauded Malaysia’s role in providing aid and services to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Bangladesh hopes that Malaysia would continue its political pressure on Myanmar, to make them see the wisdom in creating a suitable environment in their Northern Rakhine state for full repatriation of the community, at the earliest, Khan said. Read: Cosmos dialogue on EU’s contemporary relevance begins “On the economic front, the time is truly right for Bangladesh-Malaysia to step up their engagement as they strive to move up the economic ladder within this decade,” she observed. With the growing focus on the Blue Economy, Khan said it was now opportune moment for Dhaka and Putrajaya to explore maritime engagement, as additional dimension of Bangladesh-Malaysia relations. “For this, the obvious arena for maritime engagement to commence would be the Bay of Bengal, and other regional waters, which have grown in importance as a critical maritime theatre in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean,” she added. The speakers were agreed that this important deliberation and exchange of ideas organised by the Cosmos Foundation will enormously assist the widening and deepening of bilateral relations.  

The latest edition of Cosmos Foundation-hosted Ambassadors’ Lecture Series titled "Bangladesh-South Korea Relations: Prognosis for the Future" will be premiered on Thursday. South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun will deliver the keynote speech at the dialogue that will be premiered on the Facebook pages of Cosmos Foundation and UNB and its YouTube channel. Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of the Cosmos Foundation, will deliver the inaugural remarks. Read: Cosmos Dialogue on Dhaka-Washington ties premieres Saturday on Facebook Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a Singapore-based renowned scholar-diplomat and former Foreign Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh Caretaker Government, will chair and conduct the session. Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, Chairman and CEO of Youngone Corporation and KEPZ Corporation (BD) Ltd Kihak Sung, former BGMEA President and Mohammadi Group Chairperson Dr Rubana Huq, former Bangladesh Ambassador to South Korea Iftikharul Karim; and Research Fellow and Head at Bangladesh Centre for Terrorism Research (BCTR) Shafqat Munir will comprise the panel of discussants. Ambassador Lee will share his plans on further strengthening the relations between the two countries as the Golden Jubilee of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023 is seen as an opportunity for the two countries to diversify the areas of cooperation. Read: Australian envoy sees potentials for future bilateral cooperation “golden” Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh in 1973, the two countries have been enhancing cooperation in various fields, such as politics, economy, culture, development cooperation and human exchange. Additionally, more than 150 Korean companies are there in Bangladesh, making the Republic of Korea the largest investor in Bangladesh's garment sector. Their investments in recent years have been diversified into infrastructure, energy and consumer goods.  

Experts from Bangladesh and the United States have been brought together for an online symposium hosted by the Cosmos Foundation to assess the Dhaka-Washington relationship in its present context and identify the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the effort to take it forward. The keynote address at the symposium titled ‘The Biden Administration in the United States: Prognosis for the Future of Bangladesh-US Relations’ will be delivered by Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director of the Asia Programme and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan will deliver the opening remarks at the event, which is set to premiere on the Facebook page of Cosmos Foundation this Saturday, April 3, at 8PM BdST (10AM EST). Renowned scholar-diplomat and adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury will chair the session. Also read: Cosmos Dialogue on Bangladesh's relations with Nordic countries begins in city The symposium is the latest instalment in Cosmos Foundation’s flagship ‘Dialogue’ series, in which a high-level expert panel is tasked with tackling pressing issues of the day, that has continued through the pandemic. Apart from the names mentioned above, the panel of discussants for the latest edition will comprise Ambassador Tariq Karim, Dr Nina Ahmad, Dr Ali Riaz, and Ambassador Serajul Islam. The full video of the event will be available for viewing on the Facebook page of Cosmos Foundation, and (elsewhere) from Saturday, April 3rd, 8PM BdST. Also read: Cosmos Dialogue on Foreign Policy begins in city Before the pandemic hit, two-way trade between the United States and Bangladesh touched a record $9 billion, with the US remaining the largest single-country export destination for Bangladeshi products. The potential of a relationship grounded in strong economic ties is proven, and the long-discussed US-Bangladesh Business Council is now very close to reality, with the US Chamber of Commerce set to host its launch in the first week of April. Bangladesh’s upcoming graduation from the list of Least Developed Countries has been well noted in the US media, and the Biden Administration’s outreach to Dhaka in Washington’s renewed commitment to fighting climate has been notable. Also read: Cosmos dialogue on EU’s contemporary relevance begins Against this backdrop, Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of conglomerate the Cosmos Group, brings together the finest minds to arrive at a prognosis for the future of the relationship, in line with its commitment to eliciting strategic insights and policy solutions for Bangladesh as it charts its course toward a future that is ever-brighter.

Muhammed Aziz Khan, founder and Chairman of Summit Power International Limited, Summit Holdings Ltd and IPCO Developments (Bangladesh) Limited, has said there will be huge opportunities for Bangladesh in the post-Covid-19 scenario that the country needs to utilize.