Visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishangkar on Thursday said that Bangladesh and India are in talks on signing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The issue is under discussion between the officials of both sides, he told a briefing, following a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the Foreign Service Academy.
According to reports, the CEPA is one of the deals that India is prioritizing, and that the two sides had agreed to enhance trade through removing non-tariff barriers (NTBs) - needed for ensuring predictability of trade policies, regulations and procedures under the agreement.
India and Bangladesh have started the process of negotiations on CEPA to deepen trade and economic ties recently when a high-level team from Bangladesh visited India.
They discussed recommendations put forward by a Joint Study Group (JSG) for conducting the feasibility study on the CEPA.
Mr Jaishangkar also pointed out that the bilateral trade and Indian investment and assistance to infrastructure projects in Bangladesh have regained the momentum lost during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He expected that the projects in power, energy and connectivity sectors in Bangladesh, being funded by India, will be commissioned soon.
About his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the day, the Indian minister said that they discussed bilateral, regional and global issues.
He also conveyed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to Sheikh Hasina to visit India.
The PM accepted the invitation and said would visit India at her convenient time, he added.
Mr Jaishangkar also pointed out that being the largest producer and consumer of energy in the South Asia region, India could help its neighbours improve their energy security.
He also stressed the need for strengthening regional connectivity and expressed satisfaction that the bilateral connectivity between India and Bangladesh has significantly improved in recent years.
In this connection, he also mentioned that a new train will run between the two countries soon.
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