Diplomatic Desk:
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam, MP, has stressed the need to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to ensure peace, stability, economic prosperity and sustainable development in South Asia. He said there is no alternative to renewed regional dialogue and institutional cooperation to address common challenges and harness the vast economic and strategic potential of the region.
He said this while addressing the seminar titled ‘Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways for Revitalising SAARC’ at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) auditorium in the capital on Monday (July 6, 2026).
Major General ASM Ridwanur Rahman, awc, afwc, psc, G, Director General, BIISS, delivered the welcome address and chaired the seminar.
The keynote address was presented by Ambassador Tariq A. Karim, Advisor, Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies, Independent University, Bangladesh and Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of South Asia Studies, National University of Singapore.
The panel discussion at the seminar was attended by Dr. Niloy Ranjan Biswas, Professor, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, and Md. Shamsul Haque, Former Additional Foreign Secretary (SAARC and BIMSTEC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Coders Trust Bangladesh.
In the open discussion held after the keynote address and panel discussion, the participants exchanged views on the structural reasons for the limited effectiveness of SAARC, the geopolitical realities of South Asia, and the possibility of advancing effective regional cooperation despite political differences.
In his speech as the chief guest, Shama Obaid Islam reiterated Bangladesh’s long-standing commitment to regional cooperation and said that SAARC should be developed as a more effective and dynamic platform to rebuild mutual trust and open new avenues of cooperation for the welfare of the people of South Asia.
The seminar was attended by senior officials of various ministries and government agencies, ambassadors and high commissioners of various countries, former diplomats, civil and military officials, representatives of regional and international organizations, academicians, researchers, university teachers and students, media workers and policymakers.
