Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin has held a meeting with the Trade Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Ehsan Afzal Khan.
The meeting took place on Thursday morning at the office of the commerce adviser in the Secretariat.
During the meeting, both parties expressed their commitment to exploring ways to increase the volume of bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, further energising economic cooperation, and raising commercial relations to new heights.
Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said, “In our country, the cement sector is largely dependent on the import of key raw materials, especially limestone and construction-grade stone. We require 50 million tonnes of stone annually. To import this, engagement between businesspeople of both countries needs to be increased.”
He stated, “There is an opportunity to expand the limited trade basket of the two countries by ensuring labour productivity, utility proportion, logistic excellence, cost to finance, and market access. This will reduce the trade deficit between the two countries and improve people-to-people relations.” He also emphasised the need to create more opportunities for Bangladeshi exporters in the Pakistani market.
Trade Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Ehsan Afzal Khan stressed the importance of removing the limitations in bilateral trade and enhancing trade facilities. He said, “We want to significantly increase the volume of trade by enhancing direct contact between the businesspeople of the two countries, exchanging trade missions, and reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers.”
Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Mahbubur Rahman and Additional Secretary (FTA) Ayesha Akter were also present at the meeting.
