Bangladesh should go for bilateral agreements with its main export partners to enjoy duty-free market facilities as the WTO negotiations are showing slow progress, speakers told a roundtable in Dhaka yesterday.
Seeing slow progress in World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, many developed and developing countries have initiated moves to sign bilateral deals to increase trade, the speakers said at the roundtable styled 'Proactive Agenda for Bangladesh in the Ongoing WTO Negotiations'. Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) organised the roundtable.
Manzur Ahmed, adviser to Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said many trading partners of the US are initiating moves to sign bilateral trade deals.
"Sri Lanka has signed a bilateral trade agreement with India and India now eyes bilateral agreement with the US, Singapore and EU," said Khalid Hossain, policy officer of Bangladesh Programme of Oxfam.
Shishir K Deb, chief executive officer of BFTI, presented a paper. Golam Mostakim, additional secretary to the ministry of commerce, also spoke.