Alex Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros and chairperson of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), held a significant meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Interim Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday.
The discussions centred around economic reforms, media freedom, asset recovery, cybersecurity laws, and the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis.
The meeting in Dhaka, which included OSF President Binaifer Nowrojee, comes in the wake of the recent suspension of foreign aid to Bangladesh by the Donald Trump administration.
Yunus, expressing gratitude to the OSF, highlighted the delegation’s support for the government’s reform agenda.
“Open Society Foundations leadership on Wednesday met Chief Interim Adviser to discuss Bangladesh's efforts to rebuild the economy, trace siphoned-off assets, combat misinformation, and carry out vital economic reforms,” Yunus’s office stated on social media.
Bangladeshi media reported that discussions delved into a range of pressing issues, including new cybersecurity laws and strategies to tackle misinformation.
The economic recovery process and ongoing efforts to retrieve diverted national assets also featured prominently.
Addressing Yunus during the meeting, Alex Soros assured, “We will explore ways to support your efforts in these areas,” as reported by Bangladeshi media reports.
Yunus, in response, acknowledged OSF’s continued engagement and thanked Soros for pledging assistance.
The Open Society Foundations, founded by Hungarian-born US investor George Soros, has frequently found itself embroiled in geopolitical controversies, with accusations of promoting regime change in regions such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
There have been claims suggesting OSF’s involvement in the political upheaval that led to the ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last August.
The Soros name has also surfaced in controversies closer to home in India. The Adani Group recently faced allegations from the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which claimed the conglomerate used opaque Mauritius-based funds for investments—a charge linked by some to Soros-funded organisations.
Furthermore, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India has accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of maintaining connections with organisations supported by Soros.
These groups, the BJP contends, have adopted critical stances on Indian government policies, including matters pertaining to Kashmir.
Despite criticism, OSF’s role in supporting democratic and human rights initiatives remains a key part of its global operations.
Yunus and Soros’s meeting certainly hints at international interests in Bangladesh’s evolving political and economic landscape, particularly in light of strained relations with the United States and neighbouring India.
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