No deal with India that hurts country's interest
A delegation from the Dutch Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by its President Rakesh Mohan, meets Commerce Minister Faruk Khan at his office in Dhaka yesterday.Photo: PID
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday reiterated that the government would not sign any agreement with India that goes against the country's interest.
“This is, you know, a democratic government and so far everything has been done in a transparent manner. Nothing will be done keeping people in the dark,” he told a delegation from the Dutch Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DBCCI) at his office.
Khan informed the delegation that either in June or July they would discuss various features of the Indo-Bangla Trade Agreement, which saw a three-year expansion recently, as a 'whole package'.
Replying to a query, he said they would discuss the export-import policy within this month to simplify it.
“We'll look into it so that the importers can import drug without prior permission from Livestock Department,” he said when a delegation member raised the problems in having double permission for drug imports.
He said the government would take all necessary steps so that the impact of global financial crisis in Bangladesh could be kept at the minimum level.
“A taskforce in this regard will be formed this month in a bid to keep Bangladesh away from the fallout of the global financial crisis,” he told the delegation led by Rakesh Mohan, the chamber's president.
Referring to the ailing power and gas sectors, the commerce minister said the government is sincere about improving gas and power situation but it will take time. “The government will soon go for gas exploration from new wells,” he added.
He assured the delegation of simplifying visa procedure for the businesspeople and all-out government cooperation to them saying: “The government is really business-friendly.”
The meeting was attended, among others, by DBCCI Vice President Hassan Khaled and Joint Secretary General Sarafat Chowdhury.
Earlier, the minister had a meeting with the leaders of Leather Goods, Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association at his office.
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