By NNN-PTI
Dhaka : India and Bangladesh are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on removing non-tariff barriers in bilateral trade after the Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two countries here on Monday, Bangladeshi officials said.
An MoU between Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institutions (BSTI) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is also likely to be signed allowing BSTI to perform tests and certify Bangladeshi goods for export to India, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials said.
They said this would be an initial step to remove non-tariff barriers, being demanded by Bangladesh for long to expand its market in India.
Bangladesh has also demanded the removal of para-tariff barriers, which raise the price of its exports due to customs surcharges, additional charges, internal taxes and charges levied on imports, and decreed customs valuation.
Dhaka plans to raise every bilateral issue between India and Bangladesh at the upcoming talks as Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon arrives here tomorrow on a three-day visit, officials and media reports here said.
“We have no priority issues. We want to discuss the whole gamut of bilateral problems,” acting Foreign Secretary Mohammad Touhid Hossain told the ‘New Age’ newspaper.
Foreign ministry officials, however, said issues including security, peaceful border management, cross-border illegal movement, cooperation in water management in common rivers, economic and trade links, and consular and cultural exchanges would feature in the meeting.
“India has reportedly prioritised connectivity, cross-border security and illegal migration,” the New Age said.