BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS)  organised a two-day COSATT Regional Conference on Importance of BRI and BBIN for South Asia on 04-05 July 2018 at BIISS auditorium. The Conference was divided into five Sessions. H. E. Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, MP, Honourable Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, was scheduled to be the Chief Guest in the Inaugural Session. Due to Prime Minister’s important meeting, Mr. Kamrul Ahsan, Secretary (Bilateral & Consular), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented the remarks of the Chief Guest. H. E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Mannan, MP, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning, Bangladesh Government, graced the Closing Session as the Chief Guest. Major General A K M Abdur Rahman, ndc, psc, Director General, BIISS, delivered the welcome address. Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Chairman, Board of Governors, BIISS, chaired the Inaugural Session.

Twelve presentations were delivered in deifferent sessions of the conference. The presenters inclunded Dr. Mahfuz Kabir, Research Director, BIISS, Mr. Purushottam Ojha, Former Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Supplies, Government of Nepal, Professor Gamini Keerawella, Executive Director, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Sri Lanka, Dr. Shanthie Mariet D’Souza, President and Founder, ‘Mantraya, Goa, India, Ms. Shanjida Shahab Uddin, Research Officer, BIISS, Ms. Kinley Wangmo, Hydrologist, Chime D Consulting, Thimphu, Bhutan, Mr. Ujjwal Upadhaya, National College, Kathmandu University, Nepal, Mr. Mahesh Raj Bhatta, Research Officer, Centre for South Asian Studies, Nepal, Dr. Mohammad Jasim Uddin, Senior Research Fellow, BIISS, Mr. Hernaikh Singh, Senior Associate Director, Insitute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Dr. Nishchal N. Pandey, Director, Centre for South Asian Studies, Nepal, Maj. Gen. (retd.) Dipankar Benarjee, Member, Forum for Strategic Initiatives, New Delhi. Session Chairs of the Working Sessions were Professor Dr. Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dhaka, Major General A K M Abdur Rahman, ndc, psc, Director General, BIISS, and Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur, Executive Director, Policy Research Institute, Dhaka.

In different sessions of the conference, distinguished speakers noted that connectivity initiatives in the present era are considered as a significant prerequisite for economic development. South Asia lags behind in transport connectivity, trade connectivity and people to people connectivity, with intra-regional trade level at a dismal amount. In this regard, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) initiative provide opportunities for enhanced regional economic integration. To address various challenges, speakers of the conference emphasised on strong political will of the concerning countries. Timely decisions are critical to make any connectivity initiative successful.                                                                                                                                                                               

Senior officials from different ministries of Bangladesh, representatives from different organisations, ambassadors, media, academia, researchers, teachers and students from various universities participated in the open discussion and expressed their valuable opinions and observations on the topic.