Dhaka has called on Thimphu to reconsider its position on the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) to enhance connectivity and economic cooperation across the sub-region.
The request was made during bilateral talks between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay in Dhaka on Saturday.
Tobgay arrived in the capital earlier in the day. Following the official talks, Bangladesh and Bhutan signed two memoranda of understanding—one on health cooperation and another on internet connectivity.
Ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam told reporters on Thursday, “Bhutan has objections about BBIN. We will raise the issue again so that we can understand their concerns and address them.”
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the matter was discussed under the broader framework of sub-regional connectivity. “Dhaka wants to operationalise the BBIN agreement, and naturally the issue came up,” he said.
The BBIN MVA—signed in 2015 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal—is designed to facilitate seamless movement of passenger, personal, and cargo vehicles across the four countries. By easing cross-border transport barriers, the agreement aims to boost trade, tourism, and cultural exchange.
Bangladesh, India, and Nepal have ratified the agreement, but Bhutan’s ratification remains pending. As a result, the three other countries have moved forward with a proposed “BIN” enabling MoU to implement the BBIN MVA without Bhutan. Nepal’s final approval on the MoU is still awaited.
Two key protocols are required to operationalise the MVA – passenger and cargo protocol.
Passenger Protocol is finalised and agreed upon by Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, but signing by all three countries is pending.
Cargo Protocol is still under discussion among the same three countries and yet to be finalised.
To test the framework, two cargo trial runs were conducted—one from Kolkata–Dhaka–Agartala in November 2015, and another from Dhaka to Delhi in August–September 2016. Additionally, a BBIN car rally was held in December 2015, while passenger trial runs and route surveys took place on routes such as Dhaka–Siliguri–Gangtok (2019), Dhaka–Siliguri–Kathmandu (2018), and Kolkata–Khulna (2016).
