Dhaka, KL agree to reduce trade gap, start FTA talks

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 3 (UNB):  Bangladesh and Malaysia Wednesday agreed to boost bilateral trade and commerce, especially to reduce the trade gap, with Kula Lumpur assuring Dhaka of starting negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Malaysia also assured Bangladesh of extending support to it to become Asean's dialogue partner and hosting the next Joint Commission meeting between the two countries in 2015. The last Bangladesh-Malaysia Joint Commission meeting was held in Dhaka in 2005.

The bilateral meeting between Bangladesh and Malaysia was held at the Malaysian Prime Minister's Office at Perdana Square at Putrajaya.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the Bangladesh side while Najib Abdul Razak the Malaysian side. Ministers and high government officials of both the countries attended the meeting.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque said the Malaysian Prime Minister in his opening remarks said there has been a very warm and good relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia.

"We want to take this relationship in to a greater height and there's no irritation in the relationship of our two countries," Shahidul quoted the Malaysian PM as telling the meeting.

Before the official bilateral meeting, both the leaders held a tete a tate, also at the Malaysian Prime Minister's office.

Shahidul said the meeting discussed various issues of mutual interests, especially three major ones like trade and commerce, migrant workers and investment.

He said both the countries, especially the Malaysian Prime Minister, agreed to take active measures to reduce the current trade imbalance which is now disproportionately in favour of Malaysia.

Responding to Bangladesh's request to widen the duty-free and quota-free access of Bangladeshi products to Malaysian market, especially pharmaceuticals goods, cement, jute and jute made goods, ceramics, footwear, both the Prime Ministers agreed to this end.

Another report adds: Bangladesh has signed four deals with Malaysia for exporting manpower and partially easing visa requirements besides cooperation in tourism and cultural exchanges, report agencies.

Four deals included one agreement and two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and one protocol, for further widening and strengthening ties between the two countries in the fields of manpower export, tourism, art and culture.

The instruments were signed after official talks between the prime ministers of the two countries at Prime Minister's Office at Putrajaya, centre of the federal administration of Malaysia.

These included an agreement 'on partial abolition of visa requirements' and a protocol amending the 2012 MoU on employment of workers from Bangladesh.

The amendment will allow the recruitment of at least 12,000 Bangladesh workers for Sarawak state, outside mainland Malaysia.

The number may be raised to 60,000 later, said Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, also at Putrajaya.

Two more MoUs for cooperation in the field of tourism as well as culture, arts and heritage were signed.