The U.K. Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, met Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus in London on Wednesday (Jun 11). The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral trade relations and fostering investment opportunities between the two friendly nations, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said.
Discussions encompassed mutual interests, including strategies to boost trade and attract increased British investment in Bangladesh.
Reynolds reaffirmed the U.K's support for Bangladesh's interim government's initiatives to recover misappropriated funds siphoned off to various countries.
Prof. Yunus highlighted the interim government's efforts in economic recovery, particularly reforms in the banking sector, stabilisation of foreign exchange reserves, and the maintenance of macroeconomic stability.
The meeting was attended by National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Special Envoy to the Chief Adviser Lutfey Siddiqi, and SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed. Special Envoy Siddiqi proposed the initiation of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and Bangladesh, noting that Dhaka has already commenced discussions on FTAs with several countries, including Japan.
U.K. Trade Envoy to Bangladesh Baroness Rosie Winterton and British High Commissioner in Dhaka Sarah Cooke also participated in the meeting.
