Istanbul Gedik University Bangladesh Study and Research Center was established on June 2021.This is the first ever Center opened to study Bangladesh affairs in Turkey. This gives us a proud privilege of aiming to turn the Center a Center of excellence and a point of reference on Bangladesh-related issues for academicians, researchers, students, business elites as well as the cultural and media community in Turkey. The launching of a Center on a specific country-Bangladesh- itself demonstrates the geo-strategic and geo-economic significance of Bangladesh in the region in particular and in the world at large. Despite its own constraints and challenges, Bangladesh has scripted success stories in the socio-economic landscape. The country is recognised by the international community as one of the fastest emerging economies in the world. It has made its position ahead of many of its South Asian peers on important human and social indices. This offers reasons and grounds for studying in a deeper manner opportunities and challenges exist in Bangladesh in order to fully capitalize the benefits it presents by other countries including Turkey.
The growing increase of Bangladesh’s importance in the international theater coincides with Turkish recently formulated and advocated foreign policy priorities-‘Asia Anew initiative’- apparently attempting to revamp Turkish engagements with Asia in all areas including business, investment, education, culture and people to people contacts. Although Bangladesh and Turkey share historical, cultural and religious ties, the people of both countries need to understand each other’s societal tapestry- values and dynamics- more comprehensively in order for attaining mutual gains on a win-win basis. In this context, Bangladesh Study and Research Center aims:
-to trace out the historical, cultural, religious, linguistic and trade roots between Bangladesh and Turkey
-to carry out in-depth analysis on the status of Bangladesh-Turkey cooperation in terms of politics, economy, education, culture, tourism and people to people contact
-to evaluate future course of movement of Bangladesh-Turkey relations
In order to realise its objectives, the Centre would engage and liaison with a range of professionals including politicians, academicians, researchers, diplomats, business leaders, civil society members as well as cultural and media personalities in the form of dialogue, round-table discussion, workshop, seminar etc. In addition to hosting regular academic, thematic and social programmes and events, the Centre would also aim to collaborate with similar kind of educational/research/cultural institutes in Turkey and beyond to discuss and deliberate on the changing dynamics of Bangladesh-Turkey equations, in light of the fast-evolving geo-political scenario in the region and beyond.
Bangladesh Study and Research is determined and committed to positively contribute to the ever-expanding Bangladesh-Turkey friendship.
(Rickshaw Painting, Ressam/Painter: Saikat Chowdhury, dribble)