Bangladesh
Business leaders Sunday expressed their dismay that the SAARC had failed to deliver "much" in the fields of economy and politics in the South Asian region, although it could attract the attention of the international community.
The SAARC countries are now striving to set a uniform product standard for the group after years of complaints by the weaker ones among them about non-acceptance of their national certifications of product quality by their stronger counterparts. It has persistently posed as a difficult non-trade barrier that has obstructed bilateral trade.
Bangladesh is likely sign the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the United
States, agreeing to Washington’s insistence of including "corruption" issue in the text.
The United States has asked Bangladesh to re-examine the possibility of restarting negotiations on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between the two countries.
A "captive protected" market to Indian suppliers, trade losses for Bangladesh and the issue of farm subsidies cosseted to Indian rice, wheat and sugar producers are among the potential risks.
A new study says Bangladesh should sign Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with India and Pakistan, but fails to identify what the FTAs would have in addition to South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA).
The next meeting of the Trade Negotiation Committee (TNC) of BIMSTEC is hanging in the balance due to inability of the member countries to fix a date for reviewing the progress of the previous meetings.
Although Bangladesh and Pakistan have agreed to sign a free trade area deal by September this year, the two countries are yet to start negotiations.
A business delegation of India yesterday underscored the need for inking a free trade agreement (FTA) between Bangladesh and India to boost trade between the two countries.
The first meeting of the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Business Council expected to kick-off in Dhaka next week would give priority to issues relating to signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, sources said.
Bangladesh urged the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) countries to show more flexibility in addressing concerns of all member-countries to ensure equitable trade under the Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement.
Thailand yesterday dismissed news reports that political problems at home had delayed negotiations on free-trade agreements (FTAs) among members of the regional Bimstec trade bloc.
The (SAFTA) South Asian Free Trade Agreement has been implemented from July 1, 2006, which is operating under the framework of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Bangladesh is going to sign a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Iran may lead to signing of Free Trade Agreement between the two Muslim nations.
Sri Lanka has mooted a free trade agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh citing its positive experience with the ones it has signed with India and Pakistan.
After breaking the ice by launching the preferential trade agreement among Developing Eight (D-8) countries, Indonesian Trade Minister Mari E. Pangestu envisions that the agreement would lead to a free trade arrangement for member countries in less than 15 years.
The road to US duy-free access could be longer than expected for a series of emerging countries. While Pakistan was recently refused that textiles and apparel benefit from preferential treatment, chances of duty-free access for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Cambodia are progressively fading.
The bilateral FTA would go beyond the tariff concessions provided under the SAFTA agreement.
The Prime Minister of Turkey not only hosted the Bangladesh leader but also highlighted the need for augmenting bilateral relations in different fields, including trade and investment.
