Commerce ministry holds meeting on FTA Aug 3
FE Report | Tuesday, 29 July 2008
The ministry of commerce will hold a preparatory meeting on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on August 3, a senior official said Monday.
He said senior officials of the commerce ministry will sit to discuss various unresolved issues related to FTAs with the neighbouring countries.
The official said signing of the FTA with the country's major trade partner, India, is matter of in-depth review.
He said the meeting of the commerce ministry will also scrutinise two separate reports on 'Indo-Bangladesh bilateral FTA' - one prepared by the World Bank and the other by Ayubur Rahman, a Dhaka university professor.
There are contradictory opinions in the two reports regarding the benefits, which Bangladesh might derive from signing a bilateral FTA with India, he said adding that the meeting will dwell at length on the pros and cons before framing a draft proposal.
He said senior officials of the commerce ministry will sit to discuss various unresolved issues related to FTAs with the neighbouring countries.
The official said signing of the FTA with the country's major trade partner, India, is matter of in-depth review.
He said the meeting of the commerce ministry will also scrutinise two separate reports on 'Indo-Bangladesh bilateral FTA' - one prepared by the World Bank and the other by Ayubur Rahman, a Dhaka university professor.
There are contradictory opinions in the two reports regarding the benefits, which Bangladesh might derive from signing a bilateral FTA with India, he said adding that the meeting will dwell at length on the pros and cons before framing a draft proposal.