Pakistan keen on signing FTA with Bangladesh
Siddique Islam
From Islamabad
Islamabad is very much interested to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Dhaka soon for strengthening bilateral trade relations between the two countries, a senior official has said.
"We need to sign the FTA as early as possible for strengthening bilateral trade and investment between two brotherly countries," Syed Hassan Javed, Additional Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, said while talking with a group of Bangladeshi journalists at foreign office in Islamabad on Monday.
Bangladesh and Pakistan earlier agreed to sign the FTA to raise the annual bilateral trade to US$1.0 billion from the existing over $350 million.
"The FTA will not only help increase export and import businesses of the both countries it would also help investment between thetwo countries," Mr. Javed said.
Dhaka and Islamabad have already started preparations to hold the next Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting, he said, adding that the date of ninth session of the JEC is under consultation between the two sides.
"We'll welcome Bangladeshi banks to open their new branches in Pakistan that would help foreign trade between the two countries grow," he said while reply to a query.
The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries has been quite 'insignificant' for years because of the lack of proper initiatives.
The balance of trade, according to official data, has remained in favour of Pakistan over the past 19 years.
Bangladesh exported goods and commodities worth only US$76.21 million to Pakistan in fiscal year 2008-09 while Pakistan exported worth $288.38 million in the same period to Bangladesh.
Pakistan keen on signing FTA with Bangladesh
Siddique Islam
From Islamabad
Islamabad is very much interested to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Dhaka soon for strengthening bilateral trade relations between the two countries, a senior official has said.
"We need to sign the FTA as early as possible for strengthening bilateral trade and investment between two brotherly countries," Syed Hassan Javed, Additional Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, said while talking with a group of Bangladeshi journalists at foreign office in Islamabad on Monday.
Bangladesh and Pakistan earlier agreed to sign the FTA to raise the annual bilateral trade to US$1.0 billion from the existing over $350 million.
"The FTA will not only help increase export and import businesses of the both countries it would also help investment between thetwo countries," Mr. Javed said.
Dhaka and Islamabad have already started preparations to hold the next Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting, he said, adding that the date of ninth session of the JEC is under consultation between the two sides.
"We'll welcome Bangladeshi banks to open their new branches in Pakistan that would help foreign trade between the two countries grow," he said while reply to a query.
The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries has been quite 'insignificant' for years because of the lack of proper initiatives.
The balance of trade, according to official data, has remained in favour of Pakistan over the past 19 years.
Bangladesh exported goods and commodities worth only US$76.21 million to Pakistan in fiscal year 2008-09 while Pakistan exported worth $288.38 million in the same period to Bangladesh.
Pakistan keen on signing FTA with Bangladesh
