Dhaka, June 22:

India and Bangladesh are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) next week to begin the process of removing non tariff barriers, part of the move towards South Asia’s economic integration. The two neighbours will also resume secretary level dialogue after a

two-year hiatus when Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon arrives here on Sunday on a three-day long trip.

Although both sides had agreed to hold secretary-level talks annually, flagging Dhaka-New Delhi relations turned the meetings into a biennial affair, held in Dhaka in 2003 and in New Delhi in 2005.

In April, foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury promised regular secretary-level talks as part of a ‘new upward trajectory’ in Bangladesh-India relations following the 14th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in New Delhi, The Daily Star reported today.