CEPA to create link for Indo-Bangla bilateral trade
“Mutual recognition in the area of investment and trade between Bangladesh and India can strengthen the historical bonding and create more opportunities for growth.”
The Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) has taken an initiative to facilitate the bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India.
The BFTI organised the first stakeholder consultation meeting of the joint study on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Bangladesh and India on Wednesday virtually. The meeting solely focused on the investment section of the joint study.
Speakers at the discussion put emphasis on increasing bilateral investment flows between two countries considering the potentials.
Dr Md Jafar Uddin, senior secretary to the commerce ministry, joined the event as the chief guest and Md Obaidul Azam, chief executive officer (in-charge) at the BFTI, chaired and moderated it.
Jafar said, "Mutual recognition in the area of investment and trade between Bangladesh and India can strengthen the historical bonding and create more opportunities for growth."
Officials from public sectors, business leaders, Indian investors and academicians participated in the meeting as stakeholders.
Rizwan Rahman, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Nihad Kabir, president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Faruque Hassan, president of Bangladesh Garment manufacturers and Exporters Association, Syed Almas Kabir, president of BASIS, Mahbubul Alam, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Abdul Matlub Ahmad, president of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, attended the meeting as business leaders.
They urged the ministry of commerce to include a joint testing facility, one-stop service in India, and opening investment for Bangladeshi investors in India in the proposed CEPA. All the stakeholders were optimistic that the proposed CEPA agreement will result in removing the investment barriers and higher investment flows between two neighboring countries.
The Centre for Regional Trade under the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade has been nominated to conduct the joint study from the government of India.
