New York [US]: Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where the two leaders discussed interest in signing a free trade agreement (FTA), connecting Bhutan and Bangladesh.
The leaders who met on Friday (local time) also discussed connecting Bhutan and Bangladesh’s special economic zones, among other wide-ranging discussions.
The details were shared by Muhammad Yunus in a post on his X platform.
“The Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, has expressed strong interest in signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh and linking the two countries’ economic zones to boost trade and investment. Prime Minister Tobgay made the proposal during a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly,” Yunus said.
During the talks, Tobgay said that both countries could greatly benefit if Bhutan’s Special Economic Zone, Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), is connected with the Special Economic Zone in Kurigram that Bangladesh has officially allocated for Bhutanese investors.
Chief Adviser Professor Yunus welcomed the proposals, stressing that both countries should explore all avenues to expand trade and investment. “Bangladesh and Bhutan can take their bilateral relations to a new level through improved connectivity, trade and investment,” Professor Yunus said, as per the statement shared on his X handle.
Significantly, Bhutanese PM Tobgay also highlighted the country’s plans to promote religious tourism, noting that Buddhist monks from Bangladesh spread the faith in their country. He further said Bhutan is eager to share its hydroelectric potential and is ready to welcome investment from Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical companies. He also sought Bangladesh’s support to set up fibre optic connectivity in Bhutan, the statement highlighted.
“The two leaders also discussed the Rohingya crisis. The Bhutanese Prime Minister confirmed that Bhutan would join the upcoming UN-organized plenary session on the Rohingya issue in New York on September 30”, the statement said.
It further noted that Chief Adviser Professor Yunus invited Prime Minister Tobgay to visit Bangladesh. The Bhutanese leader accepted, suggesting he might undertake the visit before Bangladesh’s planned general elections in February next year.
