Piyush Goyal meets Bangladeshi FM, talks ways to boost trade, investment ties

On the margins of the 7th Round of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen on Sunday to explore measures to strengthen trade and investment ties.

Taking to Twitter, Goyal wrote, “Discussions focussed on exploring ways to enhance bilateral trade & investment giving a further boost to economic ties between the two countries.” External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar on Sunday expressed confidence in India-Bangladesh ties and said that the countries look forward to cooperating in new domains including cyber security and the upgradation of the railway system.

Jaishankar also spoke at length on the landmark achievements in the partnership between both nations. Speaking on the trade connection between both the nations, Jaishankar noted, “Today Bangladesh is our largest development partner, it is our largest trade partner in the region; it is our largest visa operation overseas. And that really underlines every aspect of our cooperation. And we, in turn, are your largest export destination in Asia. I am glad to see that your exports have doubled to USD 2 billion this year.”

The EAM also said that India looks forward in boosting bilateral cooperation in new domains. “So, we now look forward to working with you to take our ties to new domains- Artificial Intelligence, cyber security, startups, Fintech. We were pleased to receive your ICT Minister. We had a very good visit by your Railway Minister recently and I am glad to expand our cooperation on upgradation of our railway system,” Jaishankar noted.

Meanwhile, at the India-Bangladesh JCC meeting, AK Abdul Momen, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh, said that the relationship between both countries is based on mutual trust. FM Momen called India the “most important neighbor”.

“India is the most important neighbor of Bangladesh. Initiatives taken by both nations have helped us achieve stability & development across the region. Bangladesh-India relations are based on mutual trust & respect,” the Bangladeshi FM said.

According to the MEA, the JCC was convened to evaluate bilateral ties, including collaboration in the aftermath of COVID-19, border control and security, commerce and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership, and regional and international problems.

This is the first in-person gathering since the COVID-19 epidemic began. The preceding meeting was held virtually in 2020.