United Kingdom High Commissioner Sarah Cook and Switzerland’s Ambassador Reto Renggli paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan at his office in the Secretariat on Thursday. State Minister for Information Yasser Khan Chowdhury was also present during the meeting. Sarah Cook congratulated the minister on assuming office, while the minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring media freedom and mentioned that work to form a media commission had begun.

The minister sought cooperation from the United Kingdom and expressed interest in utilizing the experience of the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) in developing media policy in Bangladesh. The High Commissioner assured him of support and briefed him on Ofcom’s activities. During his meeting with the Swiss Ambassador, the minister also expressed interest in learning from Switzerland’s experience to protect citizens from misinformation and disinformation while upholding media freedom.

State Minister Yasser Khan Chowdhury highlighted that artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and global challenges, emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts to address them. He also invited Swiss investment in Bangladesh’s technology and other sectors.