Kathmandu, October 8:

Bangladesh has agreed to provide an uninterrupted access to Nepali cargo vehicles to and from Banglabandh land port and use of Rohanpur as an entry and exit point for transit as well as bilateral trade by railway.

The senior commerce officials of Nepal and Bangladesh agreed upon the issues at the conclusion of three-day long commerce secretary level meeting between the two South Asian countries held in Kathmandu.

Purushottam Ojha, officiating secretary at the ministry of industry, commerce and supplies and Feroz Ahmed, commerce secretary of Bangladesh signed the agreed minutes and

exchanged the notes of the meeting today.

“The meeting reviewed the existing bilateral volume of trade between the two countries and underscored the need for finding ways and means to expand trade to a satisfactory level,” said Ojha.

On Nepal’s request for preferential tariff reduction and duty free access for some agricultural and primary products, Bangladesh has agreed in principle to provide such facilities on reciprocal basis. Nepal also presented a list of 21 different items, informed Ojha.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has also agreed to forward a wish list for preferential tariff reduction to Nepal within shortest possible time. They have also agreed to form working groups to discuss the issue on preferential tariff reduction and prepare modalities.

Ojha further informed that both sides have agreed to take up the matters related to a full-fledged operation of Kakarbhitta-Panitanki-Phulbari-Banglabandha corridor with the government of India in view of the existing difficulties faced in operation of transit to and from Bangladesh.

“A significant achievement is that preparation of a draft agreement on operating modalities of movement of carriage of transit/trade cargo that will be finalised in the near future,” he informed adding that it is likely to take final shape, as talks on agreement for the operational modalities for both bilateral and third country trade have been going on for almost one decade.

As proposed by Nepal, the Bangladesh has in principle agreed to provide Rohanpur as an entry and exit point for the transit as well as bilateral trade traffic by rail between Nepal and Bangladesh subject to fulfilment of necessary formalities.

Once this route comes into operation, Nepal’s bilateral and transit trade could be carried out through Birgunj-Katariya-Singhbad-Rohanpur-Dhaka railway route.

According to MoICS, both sides agreed to encourage investors to further explore investment opportunities for greater economic linkages between the two countries. Both sides agreed to organise single country trade fairs and participate in the trade fairs organised in each other’s country.

The visiting commerce secretary of Bangladesh noted that both the countries being LDCs should uniformly stand and raise voices on issues of mutual interests in global trading regime.

“Keeping in view of current low volume of bilateral trade,” Ahmed said adding that Bangladesh is keen to increase import items from Nepal. The next secretary-level meeting will be held in Dhaka in 2008 at a date convenient to both sides.