DHAKA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh and Bhutan have signed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) to ease further trade barriers between the two neighboring countries and facilitate an increase in the volume of bilateral trade.
Tipu Munshi, Bangladeshi commerce minister, and Lyonpo Loknath Sharma, Bhutanese economic affairs minister, Sunday in Dhaka signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering witnessed the event and joined virtually the signing ceremony from Dhaka and Thimphu respectively.
Bhutan is the first country to sign PTA with Bangladesh. Under the agreement, Bangladesh will enjoy duty benefit on export of 100 local products and Bhutan will enjoy duty benefit on its 34 products.
Bangladeshi Commerce Secretary Md Jafar Uddin had earlier said the PTA with Bhutan is part of the several multilateral trade deals that Bangladesh plans to sign in the near future. Enditem