Dhaka to push for trade, investment

Bangladesh will emphasise augmenting regional trade and investment during the upcoming three-day Partnership Summit (PS) that begins in Vishakhapatnam, India from Sunday (Jan 10). Besides, it will highlight establishing greater connectivity among the South East Asian countries.
The Bangladesh delegation will also seek expansion of bilateral trade and ask for resolving other related issues in the meetings with Indian leaders on the sideline of the summit, officials said.
"Bangladesh will press for more regional trade, greater connectivity and higher investment in the Partnership Summit," senior secretary of Ministry of Commerce (MoC) Hedayetullah Al Mamoon told the FE on Thursday.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh is organising the 22nd edition of PS on January 10-12.
The summit will be chaired by Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The theme of this year's PS is - Partnership for a Shared and Sustainable World Economy.
The MoC senior secretary said during the summit the Bangladesh delegation will get opportunities to exchange views on different issues, including trade and investment, with delegations of other countries that will help expand the economy.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed left the capital yesterday (Thursday) to attend the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) on January 8-9 in Kolkata before joining the PS in Andhra Pradesh.  
The BGBS will open up new opportunities of doing business between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Paschimbanga (West Bengal).
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the BGBS, which will focus on emerging areas of entrepreneurship, like - startups, e-commerce, and design and growth of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
In the summit more than 2,500 business leaders from across India and other countries will discuss about concrete investment proposals and infrastructure development.
A delegation, lead by president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Matlub Ahmad, also left the capital yesterday for attending the BGBS.
The Bangladeshi businessmen will seek more export opportunities to India as well as investment from India to Bangladesh.
Officials said the Partnership Summit first started in 1995 to mark the centenary of CII. Since then it has become one of the most important international business events in India.
With over two decades of active engagement and collaboration of India with the rest of the world, the PS has also established itself as an ideal ground for business networking and sharing of ideas to seek a collective view beyond bottom lines.
The summit has been providing a platform to stimulate discussions among the stakeholders on the best strategies and policies to help the countries overcome the obstacles for improving competitiveness and integrating into the globalised world.
The PS has regularly featured heads of states and governments, ministers, policy-makers, chief executive officers (CEOs) and academicians from all over the world.
The summit traditionally sees over 1,200 delegates with almost 40 percent attending from countries other than India.
    talhabinhabib@yahoo.com