Bangladesh and India are expected to sign a deal on importing 250 megawatts of electricity from India during Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka next month, an official said yesterday.
"There is a huge possibility of signing of the agreement," Foreign Secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes said, speaking at a press conference at the ministry.
Bangladesh will get the electricity by June 2014 if the deal is signed, he added.
Asked whether the price of the electricity was fixed, Quayes said he will be able to give a definite answer one week later.
The secretary said they will give a complete picture of what is going to happen regarding transit or other issues days before the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Bangladesh and India will ink the deal as per the Joint Communiqué signed on January 12, 2010 while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was visiting Delhi.
Meanwhile, a high-profile government fact-finding mission has found immense potential for trade and investment in Latin America during its recent visit to a number of countries in the region.
The foreign secretary said Bangladeshi apparels, jute goods, pharmaceuticals, and handicrafts have potential markets in Latin American nations.
He said they have discussed framework agreements and technical cooperation, particularly in rice and maize production, during talks with the officials of the countries.
"We don't have any foreign mission in Latin America although we have multi-lateral relations with most of the countries in the region", he said.
"We have a huge potential to increase trade and investment in the countries and have our various products access to their markets".
Bangladesh had missions in both Brazil and Argentina, but they were shut down later. The government has decided to set up a full-fledged mission in Brazil.
"If we can transform the multi-lateral relations into bilateral ties, we can reap various benefits," said Quayes, who led the fact-finding mission that made a whirlwind tour of Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Jamaica, and Colombia.
In Chile, the delegation discussed visa waiver agreement for Bangladesh diplomats and government officials. The negotiations with Brazil regarding the visa waver have been completed.
Quayes said Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina have also expressed their willingness to sign visa waiver agreement.
There is prospect of sending Bangladesh engineers and construction workers to Panama, as the Panama government is expanding the canal to facilitate the sailing of big merchandise ships through it, the secretary said.
Quayes said the volume of trade between Bangladesh and the Latin American countries may be worth thousands of dollars.
The fact-finding mission to Latin America was the second after West Africa where the foreign secretary had led such an exploratory mission to Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, and Ivory Coast in August-September last year.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed to lead fact-finding missions to explore potential in those areas where there is no communications or bilateral relation with Bangladesh.
The delegation, which visited the Latin American countries between July 28 and August 10, was comprised of officials from the ministries of commerce, overseas employment, agriculture, and foreign affairs.
Source : The Daily Star
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