Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Rinchen Kuentsyl met BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday and discussed various issues of mutual interest, including the revival of Saarc.
The meeting, which lasted around an hour, began at 11am at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office.
BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Organizing Secretary Shama Obed were present at the meeting.
Briefing reporters about the outcome of the discussions, Khasru said the talks centred on a range of issues of mutual interest between Bangladesh and Bhutan.
“The economic relationship between the two countries has always been good. During the BNP's time in government, trade with Bhutan grew significantly, particularly as we removed duties on vegetables imported from Bhutan,” he said.
The BNP leader mentioned that they discussed expanding trade between Bhutan and Bangladesh on a larger scale, possibly through free trade agreements (FTAs).
He also highlighted Bhutan's interest in exporting hydroelectric power to Bangladesh. “We discussed the potential for cooperation, as Bhutan has the capacity to produce about 30,000MW of hydroelectric power, a significant amount. They have yet to explore 25,000MW of this potential, from which they could export power to Bangladesh.”
Khasru said the discussions also focused on reviving and strengthening Saarc and fostering greater integration across South Asia.
“Ziaur Rahman’s vision was the integration of South Asia through Saarc, a dream we have yet to realize. We will all work together to leverage the potential for South Asia’s integration,” he added.
