The Bhutanese Minister for Economic Affairs, HE Mr. Khandu Wangchuk, paid a visit to the Banani office of the International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB), on Tuesday, 16 February, 2010 at the invitation of Mr. Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury, President, IBFB and former Mayor, Chittagong City and former Member of Parliament.
HE Mr. Wangchuk, a former Prime Minister for two terms, said that virtually all products imported from Bangladesh will receive Duty Free access to the Kingdom of Bhutan. He told the audience present that as a small country,
Bhutan was slowly making a peaceful transaction into democracy from its previous state of being a Monarchy. Mr. Wangchuk said that despite its small economic base, Bhutan will soon enact economic development policies very soon in which Bhutan will also spell out incentives for all the separate sectors in Bhutan like Hydropower, tourism, and construction. He also reinstated that Bangladesh and Bhutan had a very close relationship and this can be further strengthened by strengthening trade between the two countries, and it is hoped that this move will help in this cause.
This meeting with the Minister was chaired by Mr. Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury, President, IBFB and former Mayor, Chittagong City and former Member of Parliament. In his speech, Mr. Chowdhury also spoke of the cordial relationship between the two countries, and thanked the minister for visiting the IBFB office, which was coming on the back of a 24 member IBFB Business delegation’s recent visit to Bhutan, which in turn took place immediately after the visit by the Prime Minister to the Kingdom. He said that the primary objective of the visit was to explore trade potentials between the two countries. Mr. Chowdhury thanked the minister for the hospitality provided to the delegation during their visit. He also said that understandings were made during the visit where discussions took place with the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bhutan Exporters Association, and eminent Bhutanese businessmen. Bangladesh would give emphasis Bhutan on items like garments, construction, power and energy (including transformers), cement clinkers, tea, packaging and so on. It was hoped that this will help to expedite trade. The Minister gave his assurance that these recommended items will be seriously conspired, and in turn, hoped for assistance from the Government on importing goods from Bhutan.
Among those present in the meeting was HE Mr. Desho Bapkesang, Ambassador of Bhutan to Bangladesh, Mr. ATM Saidul Alam, Vice President, IBFB, Mr. Chowdhury Musharraf Hossain, Dr. Omar Shafayat Kausar, Sajedur Seraj, and Dr. Khalid Hassan, Directors of IBFB and other members of IBFB.
