Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi believes that the Bangladesh-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will increase trade between the two countries. Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy, India’s outgoing High Commissioner to Bangladesh, also shared the same view.

India’s outgoing High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy paid a farewell visit to him at the Commerce Minister’s official residence in Dhaka on Tuesday. They talked about CEPA and the trade and investment potential of both countries. The Ministry of Commerce informed this information in a notification.

According to the notification, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said that Bangladesh is very optimistic about CEPA. It will further increase trade between the two countries and work on issues such as investment, intellectual property and e-commerce in addition to trade in services and goods.

Referring to India as a tested friend of Bangladesh, Tipu Munshi said that trade and investment of both the countries have already increased and there is scope for further growth. Due to the sincerity of both the countries, it is possible to exploit the business opportunities.

Expressing gratitude to Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy, the Commerce Minister said that the outgoing High Commissioner of India has worked to increase trade and investment and remove business complications. He is grateful to him.

Commerce Minister said Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India recently. In view of the talks between the heads of government of the two countries, new doors of opportunities for both countries have been opened. It will fulfill the expectations of the people of both countries.

It is said in the circular that the people of both the countries are interested in border haat and the people of both the countries are enjoying its benefits – said Tipu Munshi. He also thinks that sincerity is increasing between the people of both countries.

The circular also said that outgoing Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy said that a lot of work has been done in terms of trade and investment between Bangladesh and India, there is scope for more work. He will remember the time he served in Bangladesh.

Bikram Kumar Doraiswamy said that there is a lot of demand for Bangladeshi products in different states of India, communication system of both countries has improved a lot, further development is needed. However, it is possible to increase the trade of both countries by making Chittagong and Mongla ports more effective.

The outgoing Indian High Commissioner believes that the road connectivity of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal will be very business friendly.

Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy is a 1993 batch officer of the Department of External Affairs of India. He was appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh in August 2020. He succeeded the previous High Commissioner Reva Ganguly Das. Recently he was appointed as Indian High Commissioner to UK by Narendra Modi government. He will join the new duties next week. And his replacement in Dhaka is Sudhakar Dalela, Deputy Chief of the Indian Mission in the United States.