The year 2021 for Bangladesh is especially significant as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence and the centennial birth anniversary of the founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On June 23rd, 2021, from 14:00 to 16:00, SNUAC Center for South Asian Studies (CSAS) welcomed Ambassador Abida Islam of Bangladesh to the institute for a meeting. Along with an introduction to the history, activities, and future vision of SNUAC, a presentation on KF Global eSchool SNU Program was given, which was followed by a discussion on various possibilities that the Embassy of Bangladesh in Korea could seek with SNUAC.

CSAS introduced the research project it is working on with partners in Bangladesh and its publications on Korean companies in the Bangladeshi market. The Ambassador discussed diverse possibilities of cooperation including ROK-SAARC Partnership Seminar and talked about specific plans of proceeding with the project. With First Secretary of the Embassy Samuel Murmu, Ambassador Abida Islam shared the Bangladesh government’s position on various issues of South Asia such as the Rohingya refugees problem and the China-India conflict, which showed a strong will to cooperate with SNUAC.

Bangladesh has a population that estimates at 170 million and records over 6% of economic growth since 2010. Since 2016, Bangladesh has been recording a growth rate of over 7%, and even 8.1% in 2019. Through this meeting, CSAS was able to verify the strengthening of exchanges and cooperation between Korea and Bangladesh on multiple levels. SNUAC agreed with the Embassy of Bangladesh in Korea for enthusiastic cooperation in its process of strengthening the network related to South Asian countries.