Professor Selim Raihan viewed the visit in a positive light, stating, “I believe the Foreign Affairs Adviser’s trip to China was a constructive step. However, we would like to see a stronger inflow of Chinese investment into Bangladesh.”
Shafqat Munir, Senior Fellow at the Bangladesh Institute for Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), proposed forming a commission to review Bangladesh’s foreign policy and international relations over the past 15 years. He emphasised, “We need to identify our own challenges, define the kind of foreign policy that best serves our interests, and assess whether our existing framework is adequately prepared to address these issues.”
Regarding Bangladesh’s relations with India, Kugelman noted, “For India, what’s most concerning now is the Jamaat factor and the Pakistan factor, and particularly Bangladesh’s efforts to to build up a better relationship with with Pakistan.” He said, “My sense is that India would like to see an election here sooner rather later. If there is an election anytime in the relatively near future, there’s a good chance that BNP would come back. And I think India might feel that if BNP is serious about ending its alliance with Jamaat, that could create more opportunities for India to actually be comfortable engaging with the government in Dhaka.”
During the discussion, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam asked the panelists about the ideal nature of Bangladesh-India relations in the political, economic, and security context.
In response, Professor Selim Raihan stated, “India is an important partner for Bangladesh. We must continue fostering positive relations with India. However, these ties should be built on mutual trust and confidence.”
Shafqat Munir added that Bangladesh’s relationship with India should be “constructive and positive, aligning with the aspirations of students and the general public, evolving with the demands of the time, and rooted in mutual trust and respect.”
The discussion also featured insights from former Foreign Affairs Adviser to the caretaker government Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Professor Marufa Akhter, former ambassadors Tariq Karim and Munshi Faiz Ahmed, among others.