Trade talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar is scheduled to take place in
Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw in January 9–10 aimed boosting long-stalled
bilateral commerce and investment related agenda, commerce ministry
officials said.
The Bangladesh commerce secretary, Mahbub Ahmed, Myanmar’s deputy
minister of the commerce ministry Pwint San will lead respective
delegations to the talks.
Commerce ministry officials said that they were expecting a major
breakthrough in the meeting after a direct air link had been established
between the two neighbours on December 9 ending a six-year negotiation
on direct air connectivity.
‘We have a lot of bilateral trade and investment issues pending for long
because,’ a senior trade diplomat told New Age. ‘Things of interests
centring trade and investment will get priority at the trade talks.’
The ministry is now put into the final form the delegation composed of
officials from ministries such as commerce, foreign affairs, shipping,
communications, agriculture and power, the Bangladesh Bank and the
National Board of Revenue. Private-sector representatives will also be
there in the delegation.
Trade experts in the commerce ministry said that a bilateral investment
agreement, the establishment of wholesale markets in the
Bangladesh-Myanmar frontiers, cooperation in the fisheries and livestock
sector, the import of hydroelectric power and natural gas from Myanmar
and the establishment of a joint-venture fertiliser plant in Bangladesh
using Myanmar gas were some of the priorities likely to come up at the
talks.
They said that the issues were not new but they had been stalled for lack of direction.
‘We expect this time that Myanmar officials now have a green signal from
their leaders towards forging deeper trade relations with Bangladesh,’
a trade official said.
Bangladesh exported goods worth $13.67 million against the import of $84
million to and from Myanmar in the 2012-2013 financial year.
Major export items from Bangladesh include chemical and agricultural products, frozen fish, leather and jute goods. (source)