Preferential Trade Agreement: Finalise it next month
Hasina urges Nepal PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged her Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli to finalise the Preferential Trade Agreement between the two countries during the upcoming visit of the Bangladesh president to Nepal.
President Abdul Hamid is scheduled to visit Nepal on November 11-14.
She said this when Sharma Oli met her at the Baku Congress Centre on the sidelines of the NAM Summit here, reports UNB.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said both the prime ministers agreed on making the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement operational among the three countries, if Bhutan needed more time.
Mentioning that Bangladesh has already raised the issue with India, Hasina requested Nepal to do the same.
During Hasina’s recent visit to New Delhi, the PM and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi agreed on “early operationalisation” of the BBIN agreement for movement of goods and passengers between the member countries who are willing and ready; or to work towards an India-Bangladesh motor vehicles agreement.
PALESTINE FM MEETS HASINA
Palestine has decided to name a road in Hebron after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said this when he met Hasina at the Baku Congress Centre.
He also invited the PM to formally unveil the name plaque of the road.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Shahidul said the Palestinian minister urged the PM to strengthen the trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He thanked Hasina for strongly raising the Palestine issue in various international fora.
DHAKA, BAKU INK DEAL
Bangladesh yesterday signed an agreement with Azerbaijan to boost cultural ties between the two countries.
The deal was signed after a bilateral meeting between Hasina and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at the Presidential Palace in Baku.
Bangladesh State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and Azerbaijan Cultural and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev inked the deal on behalf of their respective sides. Hasina and Ilham Aliyev witnessed the deal-signing ceremony.
During the bilateral meeting, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan agreed to strengthen their relations in future.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Ambassador concurrent of Bangladesh to Azerbaijan Allama Siddiki said the two leaders discussed the historical and cultural ties between the two countries.
Hasina recalled with profound respect the support of Azerbaijan, as part of the then Soviet Union, to Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.
The Azerbaijan president remembered Bangladesh’s support to his country as a new state in 1992.
The PM thanked Azerbaijan for extending its support to Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue.
The two leaders hoped that export of Bangladeshi manpower to Azerbaijan would be expanded further.
Hasina invited Ilham Aliyev to visit Bangladesh and the invitation was accepted.
PM JOINS GENERAL DEBATE
Hasina joined the general debate of the 18th NAM Summit at the Baku Congress Centre on the second day of the summit yesterday, reports BSS.
The heads of the states and governments as well as representatives of the NAM member countries will adopt Baku declaration.
Meanwhile, the PM is expected to return home today, wrapping up her four-day official visit to Azerbaijan.