Dhaka, Bangladesh- The U.S. Embassy, Dhaka has announced that Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South Asia Mike Delaney and Bangladesh Secretary of Commerce Mahbub Ahmed will co-chair the inaugural TICFA Forum meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 28.
The United States – Bangladesh Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) was signed on November 25, 2013. TICFA is a mechanism for dealing with specific trade and investment issues.
“The U.S.-Bangladesh TICFA seeks to further bolster annual two-way trade between the United States and Bangladesh, which exceeded $6 billion in 2013,” the US embassy said in a statement in Dhaka on Sunday.
Bangladesh is expected to raise issues including GSP (generalised system of preferences), relaxation of the rules of origin and trade and investment in the first TICFA meeting, officials said.
The USTR team will meet with the commerce minister on Sunday to discuss labour issues in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector and trade and investment between the two countries, a commerce ministry official confirmed.
The Ministry of Commerce has already fixed the agenda of the meeting that include the US investment in Bangladesh, establishing the TICFA labour affairs committee, review of the GSP action plan and labour developments, review of trade and investment concerns, US proposal for TICFA working group on women's economic empowerment and review of TICFA discussion and next steps.
BBN/SSR/AD-27Apr14-9:47 am (BST)
