'Cash in on bilateral, multilateral deals to narrow Thai-Bangla trade gap'

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A woman is helping another make her choice of a necklace at a stall at the three-day Thai Exhibition opened Wednesday at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. — FE Photo

FE Report
Finance Adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam Wednesday urged the governments of both Bangladesh and Thailand to cash in on the positive sides of bilateral and multilateral agreements to narrow the existing trade gap between the two countries.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the three-day Thai Exhibition at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel in the city Wednesday.
The finance adviser also said as both Bangladesh and Thailand are members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), they can reap benefits from the agreements.
The cooperation between Bangladesh and Thailand is very strong and the volume of bilateral trade is ever increasing, he observed.
He urged the Thai entrepreneurs to invest in hotel and tourism, construction, leather, agro-based industries, fisheries, power generation and infrastructure development in Bangladesh.
He said a Thai trade delegation is scheduled to come to Bangladesh soon to discuss the bilateral trade situation and the problems.
'The trade imbalance should be addressed having open mind,' he said.
At the inaugural session, Thai ambassador in Dhaka Suphat Chitranukroh said this is the fifth consecutive Thai Exhibition in Dhaka, which has already gained popularity in Bangladesh.
He said the recently announced export policy of Bangladesh will help narrow the trade imbalance between the two countries.
"We should increase our expertise in joint venture and management under the BIMSTEC umbrella," he observed.
A total of 38 Thai companies are participating in the Thai Exhibition 2007, scheduled for June 13-15, to display their products.
"For the last few years, the volume of trade between Bangladesh and Thailand has been hovering at the range of approximately US$300 million (30 crore)-500 million. We hope the volume of trade will increase further in the near future and will cross the benchmark of $600 million very soon," he mentioned.
Bangladesh-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTCCI) President Rashed Maksud Khan and minister counsellor (Commercial) of the Thai embassy in Dhaka Kanyarat Vongskul, among others, spoke on the occasion.