Dhaka, Thimhpu eye transit agreement, protocol

Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to finalize transit agreement and protocol in a bid to strengthen implementation of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) signed between the two countries.

The decision among others came in a two-day commerce secretary level meeting between Bangladesh and Bhutan that ended on Wednesday in Dhaka.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh led the 20-member Bangladesh delegation while Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of Bhutan Dasho Karma Tshering led the nine-member Bhutanese delegation during the two-day parley, said a press release of the Ministry of Commerce.

The other decisions taken in the meeting were to simplifying communication through a 3rd country as well as taking initiatives for simplifying trade and commerce, boosting mutual cooperation to flourish tourism industry, enhancing mutual cooperation between Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Bhutan Standard Bureau (BSB), Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority.

They also opted on boosting mutual cooperation to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers in trade and importing stones from Bhutan through Sonarhat Land Port alongside transporting Bhutanese products.