GSP will be top issue at TICFA meeting: Tofail

Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Tuesday said that  restoration of Generalised System of Preferences for Bangladesh would be the key talking point at the meeting of Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement that would be held on November 23 in Washington.
‘We hope GSP will be restored for Bangladesh in the US market following the meeting of TICFA as the success of TICFA depends on the issue,’ he said in a briefing after a meeting with a US delegation led by the ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat.
Tofail said that restoration of the GSP facilities was not a matter of business but for the image of the country and there was no reason for not allowing the benefit for Bangladesh as the country made a significant progress in workplace safety and workers’ rights.
‘We are working to ensure that all the concerns are met, so that GSP can be restored and Bangladesh is eligible for the trade facilities,’ Bernicat said.
She said that the TICFA talks of course covers GSP issues and ‘we will see how we can restore the GSP trade facilities for Bangladesh.’
‘With the TICFA talks coming up in Washington, we have topics to discuss keeping in mind that we have robust growth in trade and the readymade garments sector has grown by 17 per cent so far this year,’ the US ambassador said.
She said that they had a very good discussion with the commerce minister and the US delegation talked about the industrial growth and the export potentials of the pharmaceutical sector.
Bernicat said that the US is an enthusiastic trade partner to make sure the development of the private sector in Bangladesh.
A six-member delegation led by commerce secretary Hedayet Ullah Al Mamoon would take part in the TICFA meeting in Washington.
Other members of the delegation are : labour secretary Mikail Shipar, foreign secretary Shahidul Haque, commerce ministry additional secretary Amitav Chakravarti, an officer of commerce ministry and a representative from Bangladesh mission in New York.

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