Bangladesh and Pakistan on Monday emphasised strengthening regional cooperation as well as bilateral engagement for better integration of the south Asian region.
Both the sides discussed how something beyond the current moribund regional cooperation association can be established during a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission at the National Economic Council conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at Agargaon in the capital.
After the meeting, interim government finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed told reporters that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation had not been successful.
Founded in 1985, SAARC nations comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka last met in 2014.聽
The finance adviser who led Bangladesh in the JEC meeting held after a gap of 20 years said the issue of better regional cooperation had been discussed with the Pakistani officials.
Terming the revitalisation of the JEC between two countries a remarkable achievement in cooperation on agriculture, trade, information technology, shipping, aviation and food, the finance adviser said Dhaka wanted to discuss regional cooperation with other South Asian countries too.
The Pakistan side, led by minister for petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, hoped that the bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation between two countries would rise to a new strategic level.
He said operationalisation of the JEC after a long lull would lead to obtain mutual interest of both the countries.
The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation across various sectors, including trade, investment, agriculture, energy, research, higher education, banking, tourism, sports, and climate change, according to a press release by Economic Relations Division on the day.聽聽聽
Both the sides expressed interest in enhancing connectivity through the establishment of direct shipping links, expansion of air services, and increased utilisation of ports and logistics to reduce costs and improve efficiency in bilateral and regional trade.
A memorandum of understanding for cooperation in Halal Trade between the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) and the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) was signed by Maqsura Noor, additional secretary of the Ministry of Industries, and Imran Haider, high commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh.
The tenth meeting of the JEC will be held in Islamabad at a time convenient to both parties.