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Malaysian envoy optimistic about FTA with Bangladesh


Published : 31 Mar 2022 10:41 PM

Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim has said she is optimistic that Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur would soon sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost bilateral trade.

While delivering her keynote speech at Cosmos Foundation’s virtual dialogue titled “Bangladesh-Malaysia Relations: Prognosis for the Future”, she also said trade and investment may determine the future course of relations between the two nations.

Apart from FTA, the high commissioner said the potential areas of future collaboration are “definitely in the areas of digital economy”.

“What is even more important for both countries [is] to enhance the bilateral relations on areas such as trade and investment, which may determine the direction of the relations in the next decade or so. In this regard, again, it is my hope that a FTA will be concluded between Malaysia and Bangladesh,” she said.

Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue that premiered on Thursday evening.

The opening remarks were delivered by Cosmos Foundation Executive Director Nahar Khan.

The session was chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, former adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government.

Ambassador (retd) Farooq Sobhan, Yanitha Meena, a researcher in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies programme of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Dhaka University Professor Imtiaz Ahmed and Dhaka University Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumiir were panel discussants.

High Commissioner Haznah said her ultimate aim is to conclude a FTA between the two countries so that the established trade relations between Malaysia and Bangladesh could even be stronger without unnecessary issues on trade barriers.

 “The negotiations for the proposed Malaysia-Bangladesh bilateral FTA have yet to begin…let’s therefore hope that the negotiations would start soonest for the good of our two brotherly countries,” the envoy said.

The high commissioner listed the areas like defence, aero-space and food security where bilateral cooperation could also be enhanced.

Although the foreign workers' sector has dominated the bilateral scene of Malaysia-Bangladesh relations, she said it is high time that the two countries pivot their relations away from this.