FTA with India only after thorough review: Zillur
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
FE Report
Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman Monday said Bangladesh will closely study the bilateral free trade pacts India has signed with Sri Lanka and Nepal before making such a move with any south-Asian country.
"Bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) can be reached. But, first we should look into how Sri Lanka and Nepal are benefited from such trade agreements with India. Then, we should make a move towards signing such deals," he told reporters after attending the inaugural session of a seminar on regional trade.
The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Cuts International, India jointly organised the seminar on "Bi-lateral FTAs, regional trade agreements and unilateral liberalisation: The south Asian trade highway" in Dhaka.
Economist and chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Rehman Sobhan presided over the session where trade experts from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan spoke.
Hossain Zillur Rahman said the SAARC countries are far from implementing an effective regional trade bloc in comparison to others.
"There is very little trade within this region. It is imperative to expand trade here," he said.
"We can sign the bilateral trade with other countries. But if we only open up the trade instead of developing our local economy, we will not be benefited."
"Not only the trade liberalisation, we need to improve our quality and diversify our products in the internal economy aiming to gain benefits from the market access," Rahman said.
Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman Monday said Bangladesh will closely study the bilateral free trade pacts India has signed with Sri Lanka and Nepal before making such a move with any south-Asian country.
"Bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) can be reached. But, first we should look into how Sri Lanka and Nepal are benefited from such trade agreements with India. Then, we should make a move towards signing such deals," he told reporters after attending the inaugural session of a seminar on regional trade.
The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Cuts International, India jointly organised the seminar on "Bi-lateral FTAs, regional trade agreements and unilateral liberalisation: The south Asian trade highway" in Dhaka.
Economist and chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Rehman Sobhan presided over the session where trade experts from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan spoke.
Hossain Zillur Rahman said the SAARC countries are far from implementing an effective regional trade bloc in comparison to others.
"There is very little trade within this region. It is imperative to expand trade here," he said.
"We can sign the bilateral trade with other countries. But if we only open up the trade instead of developing our local economy, we will not be benefited."
"Not only the trade liberalisation, we need to improve our quality and diversify our products in the internal economy aiming to gain benefits from the market access," Rahman said.