Multilateral, regional cooperation should be discussed: analyst
Multilateral and regional cooperation should be part of the agenda along with the bilateral relations during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming visit to India, said an economist.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said Bangladesh should emphasise the multilateral and regional cooperation as India is a significant partner of all regional blocs, including Bimstec, BBIN and Saarc.
He made the suggestion at a symposium on “Bimstec and Regional Connectivity: Bangladesh's Opportu-nities” organised by Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs at its auditorium in Dhaka.
The prime minister is expected to visit India on April 7-10 on an invitation from her counterpart Narendra Modi. “It is high time for Bangladesh to realise the regional benefit from countries including India and China by enhancing cooperation,” said Bhattacharya.
The public policy analyst said Bangladesh needs to make various regional blocs more effective by gaining political support from the member countries.
India and China are major players in all regional blocs with which Bangladesh is connected.
“We hope multilateral issues will get importance during the prime minister's state visit,” Bhattacharya said.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) includes Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal as members.
Its headquarters is in Dhaka and Bangladesh should take the opportunity to make it effective by giving it full institutional shape, said Bhattacharya.
The economist said some countries have not appointed their director to the bloc yet. “The appointment of director reflects a country's political support for the organisation.”
During his presentation, SM Nazmul Hasan, director of the Bimstec, said full-fledged transport connectivity between South Asia and Southeast Asia would help Bangladesh save $390-688 million annually by way of enjoying duty-free trade with Myanmar and India.
He said river and road connectivity with Myanmar would increase bilateral trade upto $500 million by 2020.
Bangladesh needs $14.27 billion to upgrade roads, rail networks, ports and energy infrastructure for economic integration, according to Hasan.
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