Hasina, Rajapaksa agree to explore new areas of Bangladesh-Sri Lanka trade

Sheikh Hasina and Mahinda Rajapaksa have agreed to explore new areas of trade between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The two prime ministers met in Dhaka on Saturday during Rajapaksa’s visit to join celebrations of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary and Bangladesh’s golden jubilee of independence.

They had held a private discussion at Hasina’s office before the delegations of the two countries sat in a bilateral meeting.

The government later signed six memoranda of understanding with Sri Lanka in a bid to enhance cooperation in several fields, including youth development, agriculture and technical education.

In the hour-long bilateral meeting, the two sides discussed a number of regional and international issues, the prime minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greets her Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa at her office during his two-day visit to Dhaka, Mar 20, 2021. Photo: PMO

Pointing out that the volume of Bangladesh-Sri Lanka trade is much lower than the possibilities, Hasina emphasised the quick signing of a Free Trade Agreement. A feasibility study on an FTA has already been done.   

The annual trade between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is around $160 million – with Sri Lanka exporting $120 million of goods.

Hasina mentioned Bangladeshi products that can have bright prospects in Sri Lankan markets. She also stressed the need for the participation of the private sector.

Noting that Sri Lanka has invested in Bangladesh’s power sector, she called for more investment, particularly in the special economic zones, industrial parks and high-tech parks.

The Bangladesh prime minister emphasised the sharing of experiences in rice and freshwater fish farming, aquaculture, deep-sea fishing, emergency response, disaster management, climate adaption and mitigation. She also emphasised institutional cooperation for capacity building, technical training and skill development.

She said Sri Lanka can train Bangladeshi nurses and other health workers, and import pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh.

Noting that Bangladesh’s ties with Sri Lanka will enter the 50th year in 2022, Hasina said the two countries should hold regular meetings and prioritise existing institutional steps to strengthen the relations.

Rajapaksa said Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have close ties. He invited Hasina to Sri Lanka on the golden jubilee of the bilateral ties.

Hailing Bangladesh’s digital transformation under Hasina’s leadership, Rajapaksa emphasised expanding bilateral trade, Ihsanul Karim said.

He also expressed interest in sharing experiences in Blue Economy and disaster management.

Rajapaksha arrived in Dhaka on Friday on a two-day visit. He subsequently addressed a programme organised at the National Parade Ground on the occasions of Bangabandhu's birth centenary and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence.