Trade advisor. Salehuddin Ahmed said, Bangladesh will prioritize ease of transition from a less developed country to a developing country. It won’t happen suddenly. Mentioning that it will happen at a reasonable time, he said, this transition will be in the interest of Bangladesh, in the interest of the people.

On Sunday (November 10, 2024 AD), the advisor said this in response to the questions of the media persons in the conference room of the Ministry of Commerce at the secretariat after the program entitled “Start of negotiations on the execution of the Bangladesh-Singapore Free Trade Agreement”.

The advisor said, the matter will be looked at taking into account the situation that can be passed easily. Dr. Saleuddin said that the government will sign free trade agreements with as many countries as possible. I will make agreements with Japan, Indonesia and India in particular. Besides, I will try to go to ASEAN. We will also work with Malaysia. He also said that traders are always concerned about trade. The fact that they need various facilities is also taken into consideration.

The advisor said, Singapore is a potential area for Bangladesh’s trade expansion. In addition to products, there is also the possibility of developing Bangladesh’s relations with Singapore in the service and investment sectors. He mentioned that the initiative to sign a free trade agreement between the two countries has been taken initially with the aim of increasing trade and investment between Bangladesh and Singapore.

Derek Low, the High Commissioner of Singapore assigned to Bangladesh, who participated in the discussion, said that Bangladesh, especially Chittagong, is very important for Singapore due to its geographical location. Singaporean shipping company PSA is investing in Chittagong’s Bay-Terminal, which will become a major international port through Bay-Terminal Transformation. Based on this, the trade between the two countries will increase.

Lutfe Siddiqui, Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, Special Envoy for International Affairs, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Chairman Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Haroon and Commerce Ministry Secretary Mohang Salim Uddin spoke on the occasion.

Before this, the trade advisor. Singapore High Commissioner Derek Lowe met Salehuddin Ahmed in his office at the Secretariat.