The Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute and Thailand鈥檚 International Institute for Trade and聽Development have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen mutual cooperation in trade and development sectors between the two countries.
Faiyaz Murshid Kazi, Bangladesh ambassador to Thailand and permanent representative to UN ESCAP, and Suphakit Charoenkul, executive director of ITD, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides at a function at Bangkok on Thursday, said a press release on Friday.
According to the terms of the agreement, BFTI and ITD will jointly collaborate in key areas, including education, research, training, human resource development, and policy analysis. Their shared activities will involve organising research聽 programmes, seminars, workshops and training sessions, as well as exchanging academic and policy knowledge.
Faiyaz Murshid Kazi expressed his hope that this cooperation would help accelerate the joint feasibility study for the proposed free trade agreement between Bangladesh and Thailand.
He also proposed organizing a review seminar that would involve relevant business representatives and stakeholders.
Saif Uddin Ahmed, acting chief executive officer of BFTI, who attended the signing ceremony virtually, highlighted the significance of the partnership.
Saif noted that Bangladesh had already achieved significant progress in trade expansion and diversification.
He stated that this collaboration was especially significant for enhancing the country鈥檚 commercial and institutional capacity as it prepares to transition away from its least developed country status.
Saif further remarked that the MoU was expected to create new opportunities for both institutions in areas like knowledge exchange, joint research, training, and innovative activities.
He believed this would bring benefits not only to the two signatory nations but also to the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Suphakit Charoenkul outlined the goal of establishing closer cooperation in future activities spanning trade, investment, skill development and policy research.
He emphasised that both BFTI and ITD would work together to ensure that trade remained a primary driving force for sustainable and inclusive development.
