Published: 01:21 AM, 20 June 2026
From Dialogue to Pathways of Possibility
Dr. Barek Kaiser
In June, night does not fall in Saint Petersburg. The clock reads eleven, yet twilight still clings to the sky. Golden reflections spread over the Neva’s waters. The city’s bustle shows no sign of stopping. It was under this strange light that the 2026 Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum took place. The organizers put the natural daylight to brilliant use: after daytime political and economic sessions, evening networking carried on in that mysterious, sweet glow.
I flew from Dhaka on May 31, bound for Russia’s cultural capital, Saint Petersburg. Peter the Great once wanted this city to be Europe’s window. I attended the forum as one of five members of an academic delegation from Bangladesh.
We were selected under the “New Generation” program led by Alexandra Khlevnoy, director of the Russian House in Dhaka. The five invitees from Bangladesh were: Syed Raihan Ul Islam and Dr. Md. Abdul Kabil Khan from Daffodil International University; Md. Towhid Bin Shafi and Sakib Asad Khan from the Canadian University of Bangladesh, and Dr. Barek Kaiser from the University of Development Alternative. We represented not only our universities but the country’s entire higher-education sector.
We returned from Russia on June 8. Those nine days felt like a school of experience. What we saw, heard, and understood is more than a travel story; it is a record of a changing world and of the lessons that matter most.
This year’s forum included representatives from 142 countries. More than 24,000 people attended in person. That number is more than a statistic; it is a message. Nearly three-quarters of the world’s countries sat under the same roof, searching for the same answer: how do we restore stability to this restless, divided, crisis-prone world?
Remarkably, for the first time in more than a decade, a US delegation joined the forum. Western countries such as Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Austria were present. BRICS nations, Saudi Arabia, countries from the Middle East, and the Global South—all sat at the same discussion table. That scene says this much: the world now recognizes that pragmatic dialogue is necessary beyond ideological divides.
The forum’s theme was “Pragmatic Dialogue: The Path to a Stable Future.” It was not merely a slogan; in today’s fractured world, it is an urgent message. Three words repeatedly rose to the center of that message: artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and united effort.
We live in a time when climate change, food insecurity, energy shortages, technology-driven inequality, and geopolitical conflict have all surged together. None of these crises is the sole problem of one country, nor can any single country solve them alone. One refrain at the forum was clear: “To build a sustainable world, everyone must move together.”
Old rifts—north-south divisions and east-west conflicts—will not take us forward. One country imposes sanctions, another retaliates, and a third country suffers. That third country may have no role in the original dispute. Bangladesh is a real example of this. Between Russia and the West, tensions have nearly disrupted our wheat imports, fertilizer prices have risen, and dollar transactions have become complicated. Yet Bangladesh bears no hand in that dispute.
The forum acknowledged this reality. Discussions covered alternative financial settlement systems, trade in local currencies, and decentralizing supply chains. It was made clear that vulnerable countries must not be held hostage to disputes between powerful states.
We traveled at the full expense of the Russian Federation, but we were not mere spectators. On June 3, we held an official meeting with the Bangladeshi ambassador in Russia. Talks addressed the Bangladesh–Russia joint research and student exchange. We met Bangladeshi students studying at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and at RUDN University in Moscow. We heard their experiences, struggles, and dreams firsthand.
Bangladesh is Russia’s second-largest trading partner in South Asia. Annual trade between the two countries is about $2 billion. The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plants (RNPP) first unit will connect to the commercial grid in August. When the 2,400-megawatt plant runs at full capacity, it will meet about 10 percent of Bangladesh’s total electricity demand.
A proposal has been tabled to increase the number of Bangladeshis working in Russia from 10,000 to 100,000. Duty-free access is being discussed for exports of ready-made garments and pharmaceuticals. Russia has offered support for Bangladesh’s path toward joining BRICS and the SCO.
These are not isolated developments. They form part of a broader shift in which Bangladesh is not merely a boat adrift on global economic currents; we are trying to choose our own destination.
Artificial intelligence was a recurring topic at the forum. AI is no longer confined to laboratories; it has reached farms, hospital beds, and factory floors. Russia emphasized sovereign independence in AI technology. China, India, and Saudi Arabia each presented national AI strategies.
But where does Bangladesh stand on that map? Of our 170 million people, more than 120 million use the internet. Bangladesh is one of South Asia’s most active countries on social media. Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok have become integral parts of social life here. Yet are we leveraging that vast digital presence effectively? We use social media, yes—but how much are we turning social media into an engine for the economy?
At the forum, I learned that countries that have prioritized digital transformation are using AI to raise agricultural yields, make healthcare more affordable, and improve education. Those who lag behind are falling further back. The gap between the two groups widens daily.
The forum’s greatest lesson returned with me. So many countries, languages, and ideologies—yet over 24,000 people sat together and talked. Some came from the West, some from the East, North, and South. In the end, everyone’s conclusion was the same: to sustain this planet, we must listen to each other.
Sustainable development, climate protection, food security, and equitable distribution of technology—these goals require more than UN prescriptions or promises from wealthy nations. They require genuine, united effort, where developing countries like Bangladesh have an equal voice.
If AI remains the preserve of wealthy countries, inequality will increase. If digital platforms stay controlled by a few companies, democracy will weaken. If social media becomes a tool of division instead of dialogue, societies will fracture.
Bangladesh’s youth read news on smartphones, express opinions on social media, and work for the global market through freelancing. They are the greatest force for digital transformation. We must build their skills, provide opportunities, and keep them safe from the darker sides of the digital world.
Under the white-night glow, I learned: differences of principle will remain, and conflicts of interest will persist. But dialogue must not stop. To build a sustainable digital world, AI must benefit everyone. Social media must become a bridge, not a wedge. We must ensure that technology’s benefits do not reach only the wealthy. That can only be achieved collectively.
Bangladesh is not outside this change. We may be a small country, but the dreams of our 170 million are not small. The city of white nights taught me that darkness does not mean the end. There can be a different kind of light. It is up to us to find that light.
Dr. Barek Kaiser is a member of the Bangladeshi academic delegation to the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026.
