Dhaka-Thimphu JWG to work out ways for bilateral transit soon

Bangladesh and Bhutan will soon work out ways for striking a bilateral transit deal to boost trade among the two countries, officials said.
The decision was taken at a bilateral commerce secretary level meeting in Thimphu last week.
A joint working group (JWG), to be formed soon, will meet in Dhaka by June next.
The JWG will make recommendations on the transit deal. A commerce secretary level meeting will be held later this year to finalise the deal, officials said.
The ministry of shipping is working separately on a water transit deal where Bangladesh and Bhutanese sides were in disagreement over inclusion of passenger and tourism alongside goods transportation.
Bhutan insists that only goods transportation will be included in the water transit deal while Bangladesh wants to include passengers and tourists too.
The land-locked mountainous country is interested to strike the transit deal with Bangladesh to use the latter's ports to facilitate its overseas trade.
Earlier, a trilateral joint working group was formed with India included in the process. The group met in Dhaka in 2013 to work out protocols on transit and was scheduled to meet in Delhi again in the following year. But the meeting was not held due to some complications.
As a result, the process of finalising the Bangladesh-Bhutan transit deal was delayed for years.
Bhutan now insists that the transit issue is settled bilaterally instead of involving India with it, officials said.
Contacted Monday, a senior commerce ministry official told the FE Bhutan is a land-locked country which needs to use roads, waterways and seaports of other nearest countries for its external trade.
He said Bhutan is thus interested to have the transit deal with Bangladesh.
The official said under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT), both the countries can use each other's territory to send goods to third country.
"Once Dhaka and Thimphu sign the transit deal, Bangladesh will be able to send goods to Bhutan using Indian territory," he said.
Bhutan also has a transit deal with India to use its land territory, the official said.
Bangladesh mainly exports apparel, agri-products, and footwear to Bhutan and imports vegetable products, prepared foodstuffs, mineral products, products of chemical and allied industries, textiles and textile articles, base metals, machinery and mechanical appliances and electrical equipment.
Bilateral trade between the two countries is very meagre. In fiscal year 2015-16, Bangladesh exported goods worth US$4.74 million to Bhutan and imported goods worth $21.60 million.
syful-islam@outlook.com