Brazil has asked Bangladesh to sign a framework agreement for increasing trade, investment and bilateral cooperation between the two countries, said a top official of the Brazilian foreign ministry in Dhaka on Tuesday.
'We have proposed an agreement on technical cooperation between the two countries,' said Maria Edileuza Fontenele Reis, an under-secretary general for political affairs of the Brazilian Ministry of External Affairs, at a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Brazil can provide technical cooperation in the agricultural and other sectors, but the two countries require to have 'an umbrella agreement' for this, said Maria, who was on a fact-finding visit to Dhaka.
Under this agreement, Brazil will be able to provide all forms of support for eliminating hunger by increasing agricultural production, she said.
Brazil is also interested to invest in advanced technology in agriculture, transportation, health and sports, she said.
Expressing her country's readiness to increase imports from Bangladesh, Maria said that Brazil has a huge and diverse market of 200 million people.
The two countries should exchange trade delegations, she said.
Brazil also expects Bangladesh's support in its bid to gain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, she added.
Maria called on Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, foreign affairs minister Dipu Moni, industries minister Dilip Barua, prime minister's adviser Gawhar Rizvi, foreign affairs secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes and agriculture secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed during her three-day sojourn that began on Sunday. She left Dhaka Tuesday evening.
Brazil has also proposed to sign a separate agreement on easing the visa regime for government officials and diplomats between the two countries, said Brazil's ambassador, Ricardo L Viana De Carvalho.
When asked about starting the issuing of Brazilian visas from Dhaka, he hoped that the embassy would start providing consular services, including issuing of visas, after two months.
In May last year Brazil re-opened its mission in Dhaka that had been closed in 1998 due to the financial constraints of the country, he said.
Bilateral trade between the two countries is heavily tilted in favour of Brazil, which exported goods to Bangladesh worth $700 million last year. Bangladesh imports raw sugar and soybean from the South American country. Bangladesh's total export to the country was about $70 million last year.
Dipu Moni, during the meeting with Maria, said that in spite of geographical distance there is considerable potential for mutually beneficial economic and technical cooperation between the two countries, according to a press release.
She underscored the necessity of having an institutional mechanism for bilateral Foreign Office Consultation which may be alternately held in each other's capitals, in addition to the signing of an agreement on trade, economic cooperation and investment protection.
Bangladesh is seriously thinking of re-opening its resident mission in Brasilia soon, said Dipu Moni.
Source: New Age
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