Bangladesh wants inclusion in Mercosur: Momen
PBC NEWS DESK: Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said Bangladesh wants to include itself into South America’s powerful economic bloc Mercosur consists Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as full members.
“They (Argentina) are now president of Mercosur (while) we have submitted our petition to be a member of Mercosur If we would be there (Mercosur) our trade (in Latin America) would be increased in a great extend,” he told after a meeting with Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Santiago Andres Cafiero.
The foreign minister was speaking at a joint press briefing along with Cafiero at the state guest house Jamuna in the capital this afternoon.
The foreign minister said he requested his Argentine counterpart to facilitate Bangladesh’s membership at the Mercosur.
Momen said that Bangladeshi products would face less tariff barriers in the South American market if Dhaka can manage its membership at that trade alliance which also consists of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.
He said Dhaka urged Buenos Aires to import different more Bangladeshi made products like RMG and pharmaceuticals while Bangladesh wanted to import edible oil from Argentina.
Momen said they also discussed how to expedite cooperation between the two countries under the spirit of South South cooperation.
The foreign minister expressed his happiness that Argentina opened its mission in Dhaka and said now it’s Dhaka’s duty to open Bangladesh’s mission in Argentina to enhance trade and commerce relations as well as increase people to people contacts.
After the bilateral talk, Bangladesh and Argentina sides signed three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) including visa exemption on diplomatic and official passports.
The other two MoUs are on Argentine support, cooperation on development of Bangladesh football and cooperation between the two countries foreign service academies.
Earlier, the Argentine Foreign Minister formally inaugurated the new embassy at Banani in the capital along with State Minister for Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam amid a jammed packed media crowd.
