An important meeting of Joint Working Group for Border Trade (JWGFBT) between Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh was held on Saturday in Teknaf, a border town of Bangladesh. The 7th JWGFBT meeting was delayed by a year due to unrest in Arakan province of Burma that broke out last year stated an official report.
The meeting started at 10 am in a Teknaf based hotel, where 19 delegates from Bangladesh were present under the leadership of Shweyok Nubarshi. The Burmese delegation with 18 members were led by Shwe U Maung in the meeting that ended at 2 pm.
Delegates from both the neighbouring countries agreed to promote the border trade by increasing imports and exports of goods.
The visiting Burmese delegation expressed its interest to increase the import of cement and fertilizers from Bangladesh, where as the Bangladesh delegation showed interest in importing more pea-nut before the Ramadan festival.
Moreover, some agreements were discussed and resolved that, here after, Bangladeshi businessmen can use their laptops and mobile phones in Burma during their visits. Moreover the visiting Bangladeshi businessmen may carry their currency amounting up to 50000 Taka. The businessmen from Bangladesh will also be allowed to visit the Arakan State capital Sittwe for three days with seven days visa through Teknaf- Maungdaw border point.
A Burmese businessman said that the meeting concluded successfully and was beneficial for both sides. He also expresses hope that the present annual bilateral trade between Burma and Bangladesh (amounting $140 m) would be increased after the implementation of the resolutions in the JWGFBT meeting.
