Bangladesh-Cambodia To Boost Cooperation In Fields Of Trade, Commerce

The two countries reached the consensus at the official talks between the two countries held at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) here this afternoon.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the Bangladesh side at the talks, while the Cambodian side was headed by their Premier Hun Sen.

After the talks, PM's Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhury and Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque briefed reporters.

They said the talks were held in a warm and cordial environment and the two premiers mentioned that both the countries have similar experiences in freedom struggle and independence.

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina and Hun Sen expressed their similar experiences and feelings in the Liberation Struggle,saying that the people of both countries sacrificed their life, suffered pain and snatched independence through war.

The press secretary and the foreign secretary said Bangladesh and Cambodia have been included in the LDCs and they have similar state in the socioeconomic field as well as in the regional and international forums.

They said the official talks were mainly focused on three major areas. The areas are trade, agriculture and culture, they said, adding there is huge potentiality in the field of boosting trade and commerce between the two countries.

They said the two countries also have a strong similarity in the fields of education and culture as both are situated in the Ganges- Mekong basin.

There is a situation of creating greater cooperation in the fields of education, culture and tourism centering the Ganges-Mekong Cooperation. The cooperation has six countries, including India and other five countries of the Mekong basin, they added.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister requested the Cambodian premier to extend his cooperation so that Dhaka could join the group. In response, Hun Sen said he felt encouraged that Dhaka wanted to join the grouping and assured Sheikh Hasina that he would work to this end.

They said the two sides agreed to establish a joint commission to identify new areas of cooperation and coordinate and deepen the existing cooperation in various areas.

The two sides also reached a consensus on forming of a joint trade council to be headed by commerce ministers of two countries. It is being hoped that a single country fair will be held in Cambodia in 2015, they said.

The Cambodian Prime Minister assured her Bangladesh counterpart that he would assist and support Bangladesh's appeal to become a "dialogue partner" of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Cambodia is a successful ASEAN nation and Hun Sen has a long experience in leading the regional grouping, they said.

The ASEAN, a bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations, is playing an important role politically, regionally and internationally. If Bangladesh could join the grouping as a dialogue partner, implementation of its foreign policy objectives would be strengthened further, the foreign secretary said.

Besides, the Cambodian Premier assured that the position Bangladesh is holding in different areas of the LDCs would continue.

Earlier, the two premiers held a one-to-one meeting at the PMO.

Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed,Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque and Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhury were present at the official talks.

-Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha