News Desk: Dhaka, Jul-25,

 Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito provides the centerpiece, as experts from Bangladesh and Japan are brought together (in the safety of cyberspace) by Cosmos Foundation, for a dialogue on the bilateral relations between two important  partners in growth, development, and increased trade. 

 The keynote address at the online symposium titled “Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Prognosis for the Future”, will be delivered by Ambassador Ito, who has now served in the post for slightly more than 18 months.

 A key thrust of the ambassador’s address will be the identification of 5 challenges, that he believes must be overcome in order for the bilateral relationship to fully thrive in the years ahead. 

 Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan will set the stage in his opening remarks for a richly engaging discussion, that premieres tonight (Sunday, 8 PM BST) on the Foundation’s Facebook page. 

 As is by now customary for the Foundation’s flagship events, chairing the proceedings will be the renowned scholar-diplomat, as well as an adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.  

 It would be the latest installment in the Foundation’s ‘Ambassador Lecture Series,’ where a foreign emissary based in Dhaka is invited to deliver a keynote, before engaging at length with a high-level panel of experts, who are chosen for their particular knowledge and experience relating to the day’s topic.  

For the edition premiering tonight – and thereafter available for viewing at any time - the expert panel comprises Md Abul Kalam Azad, Special Envoy, Climate Vulnerable Forum; Hayakawa Yuho, Chief Representative, JICA Bangladesh Office; Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, former Governor, Bangladesh Bank; Prof Masaaki Ohashi, Professor, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo; Manzurul Huq, columnist, writer, and academic; Prof Takahara Akio, Dean, Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo and Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim, Honorary Advisor Emeritus, Cosmos Foundation.   

Cosmos Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Bangladeshi conglomerate the Cosmos Group. Registered to operate under a trust structure since 2016, it is committed to bringing together the finest minds from home and abroad onto common fora - such that they elicit strategically insights and policy solutions for the most pressing issues facing Bangladesh, as it charts its course towards a future that is ever-brighter.  

Don’t forget to catch the premiere via Facebook of the entire discussion tonight, at 8 pm BST. Thereafter it will be available for viewing entirely at your discretion and convenience, from Cosmos Foundation’s Facebook page, as well as the www.facebook.com/unbnewsroom page.  You can also catch up on previous editions.