The Commerce Secretary level meeting between India and Bangladesh was held in New Delhi on 15-16 January 2020. The Indian delegation was led by Commerce Secretary, Government of India, Anup Wadhawan and the Bangladesh delegation was led by Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh, Dr. Md. Jafar Uddin.

Both sides held extensive discussions on a variety of issues of mutual interest, like Border Haats, joint study for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, India-Bangladesh CEOs’ Forum, sharing of trade data, regional connectivity initiatives, harmonization of standards, upgradation of border trading infrastructure and facilitation of  business visas.

The meeting was preceded by the 12th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade, at the level of Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh on 13-14 January 2020 in New Delhi. Technical discussions were held in detail on various areas of mutual interest in trade and commerce.

It was agreed that the next meetings of the Commerce Secretaries and the JWG will be held in Bangladesh, at mutually convenient dates.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement talks advanced, with discussions on border haats, trade data sharing and connectivity. The Commerce Secretary-level meeting advanced collaborative initiatives including a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement study, expansion of Border Haats, trade data sharing, regional connectivity, standards harmonisation, border trading infrastructure upgrades, and business visa facilitation; technical work was undertaken by the Joint Working Group on Trade, and future Commerce Secretary and JWG meetings are planned in Bangladesh.