FTA talks with South Korea, UAE nearing completion: Muktadir

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Sunday said that Bangladesh is moving ahead with an aggressive free trade agenda, announcing that negotiations on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are expected to be completed shortly.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Commerce, the minister said the government is also aiming to conclude free trade negotiations with four to five more countries by December as part of its strategy to expand export markets ahead of the country's graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status.

He said the government is attaching top priority to signing FTAs and other preferential trade agreements to ensure continued market access and strengthen Bangladesh's competitiveness in the global market.

The minister also said the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan will be placed before the next session of Parliament for enforcement, paving the way for deeper bilateral trade and investment cooperation�"BSS