ZCZC
BSS-55
MOMEN-D-8-BRIEFING
Dhaka seeks trade, investment cooperation agreements among D-8
members: Momen
DHAKA, April 8, 2021 (BSS) – Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen
today said Dhaka proposed to sign a ‘trade and investment cooperation
agreement’ among the D-8 member countries emphasizing the trade as the
most important area of cooperation within the preview of D-8 platform.
“Our Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina suggested the D-8
secretariat to review the possibility of signing a Trade and
Investment Cooperation Agreements among the D-8 member states,” he
told a virtual media briefing after ending of the D-8 Summit this
evening.
Bangladesh held the 10th D-8 Summit virtually today while Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina led the Bangladesh delegation at the summit
under the theme – “Partnership for a Transformative World: Harnessing
the Power of Youth and Technology”.
The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as
Developing-8 consists of 8 developing Muslim dense countries-
Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and
Turkey.
During the summit, Turkey, the current chair of D-8 handed over the
chairmanship to Bangladesh for the next two years while “D-8 Decennial
Roadmap 2020-2030” and “Dhaka Declaration 2021” were adopted.
“The D-8 roadmap for next 10 years and the Dhaka declaration will
be focused in the Bangladesh’s activities regarding the D-8
cooperation during its next two years tenure as the chair,” Dr Momen
said.
The foreign minister said it is significant as Bangladesh hosted
and chaired this summit at a unique time when the country is
celebrating the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Golden Jubilee of its independence.
“We do believe hosting the 10th D-8 summit and our D-8 chairmanship
for the next two years will help us to highlight Bangladesh’s
development advancement in the international platforms as well as to
further strengthen Dhaka’s own diplomatic position in the world
arena,” he said.
While chairing the summit today, Momen said, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina urged the D-8 leaders to implement the “Simplification of Visa
Procedures for the Businessmen of the D-8 Member States” for
encouraging the private sector doing intra-trade among the member
states.
The foreign minister said Dhaka proposed to create a resilient
post-pandemic cooperation model among all D-8 countries for improving
member states’ life and livelihood situation after the COVID era. “All
other D-8 leaders welcome our proposals regarding this,” he said.
He said all the member states encouraged to explore the
possibilities of developing and enhancing transport connectivity among
D-8 Member States with the objective to facilitate the intraD-8 trade.
They also emphasized on ratifying and operationalizing the
Preferential Trade, the Visa and the Customs Agreements as soon as
possible in order to promote and ensure substantial cooperation among
the Member States in this vital sectoral track of cooperation, Momen
said.
Regarding the Rohingya crisis, Momen said, the D-8 leaders
supported the moral cause of safe, voluntary, sustainable and
dignified return of persecuted Rohingyas to Myanmar from Bangladesh.
The D-8 leaders called upon the member states to cooperate in
negotiations with the international pharmaceutical companies
manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines, which will give advantage in
quantities and prices for all the D-8 Member States.
Besides, they also suggested that the member states could consider
conducting of a feasibility study for establishing a Pandemic Diseases
Fund in order to fight chronic diseases like COVID-19.
The D-8 leaders showed keen interest to pursue the objective of
sustainable socio-economic development and recognizing the importance
of mutual cooperation in six priority areas of cooperation: Trade,
Agriculture and Food Security, Industrial cooperation and SMEs, Energy
and Minerals, Transportation and Tourism.
State minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam and foreign
secretary Masud Bin Momen also spoke at the briefing.
Egypt will host the 11th D-8 summit where Dhaka is schedule to
handover the D-8 chairmanship to Cairo.
BSS/ASG/TA/MRU/2215hrs