Speaker urges opposition to join JS to discuss Dhaka-Delhi deal
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid has advised the opposition party to join the parliament session to discuss the Bangladesh-India deal, instead of talking wide of the mark outside the House.
"The opposition party is disseminating propaganda that the present government is going to sign several agreements with India throwing away the interests of the nation. This propaganda is not true," he told reporters in the city Tuesday, reports UNB.
"We will sit with experts and government high officials to discuss those issues and then we will go to take further steps," he said.
The Speaker said this while talking to newsmen after inaugurating a two-day national workshop for the Members of Parliament of Bangladesh on Multilateral Trading System and Doha Development Agenda.
Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) and the Ministry of Commerce with support from the European Union (EU) have jointly organised the workshop.
BFTI Chief Executive Officer MA Taslim presided over the workshop, while it was addressed, among others, by Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Councillor Sayed-ul-Hasim and Additional Secretary of Commerce Ministry Mustafa Mohiuddin.
Speaking on the occasion, Speaker Abdul Hamid called upon the lawmakers to be aware of the rules and procedures that govern international trade as well as the contemporary issues that affect the external sector of the country.
"This awareness is essential to frame sound policies that will uphold our commitment to opening trade and helping Bangladesh to reap the benefits of global free trade," he said.
Mentioning the roles of WTO in expanding global trade, the Speaker said the WTO is an umbrella organisation and it works for liberalisation of trade to enhance the world trade without discrimination.
Recalling government commitment to liberalising trade, he said they did not go back on pursuit to expand trade and to participate effectively in the open and fiercely competitive international trade arena.
"We need mainly two things: to be able to offer diversified and competitively priced commodities and formulating trade policies that help Bangladesh in protecting its national interest without restricting trade," he told the function.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said the ongoing negotiations of Doha Development Agenda were very crucial for developed, developing and least-developed countries like Bangladesh.
Expressing deep concern over delays in conclusion of the negotiations, he urged the WTO member-countries to sincerely engage for conclusion of the Doha Round by 2010.
About Prime Minister's visit to India, Mr Khan said the present government was trying to export more products to India, removing negative list of products.
"The opposition party is disseminating propaganda that the present government is going to sign several agreements with India throwing away the interests of the nation. This propaganda is not true," he told reporters in the city Tuesday, reports UNB.
"We will sit with experts and government high officials to discuss those issues and then we will go to take further steps," he said.
The Speaker said this while talking to newsmen after inaugurating a two-day national workshop for the Members of Parliament of Bangladesh on Multilateral Trading System and Doha Development Agenda.
Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) and the Ministry of Commerce with support from the European Union (EU) have jointly organised the workshop.
BFTI Chief Executive Officer MA Taslim presided over the workshop, while it was addressed, among others, by Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Councillor Sayed-ul-Hasim and Additional Secretary of Commerce Ministry Mustafa Mohiuddin.
Speaking on the occasion, Speaker Abdul Hamid called upon the lawmakers to be aware of the rules and procedures that govern international trade as well as the contemporary issues that affect the external sector of the country.
"This awareness is essential to frame sound policies that will uphold our commitment to opening trade and helping Bangladesh to reap the benefits of global free trade," he said.
Mentioning the roles of WTO in expanding global trade, the Speaker said the WTO is an umbrella organisation and it works for liberalisation of trade to enhance the world trade without discrimination.
Recalling government commitment to liberalising trade, he said they did not go back on pursuit to expand trade and to participate effectively in the open and fiercely competitive international trade arena.
"We need mainly two things: to be able to offer diversified and competitively priced commodities and formulating trade policies that help Bangladesh in protecting its national interest without restricting trade," he told the function.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said the ongoing negotiations of Doha Development Agenda were very crucial for developed, developing and least-developed countries like Bangladesh.
Expressing deep concern over delays in conclusion of the negotiations, he urged the WTO member-countries to sincerely engage for conclusion of the Doha Round by 2010.
About Prime Minister's visit to India, Mr Khan said the present government was trying to export more products to India, removing negative list of products.