Afghan deputy minister visits Bangladesh at govt’s invitation
For the first time on an official visit to Bangladesh, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid, emphasised enhancing trade between the two countries.
As part of strengthening trade relations between Dhaka and Kabul, he requested the establishment of direct cargo flights between the two nations and called for investment from Bangladesh into Afghanistan.
Officials from the Ministry of Commerce and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) confirmed this to Prothom Alo.
Ahmadullah Zahid, who has been visiting Bangladesh since last Sunday, has already met with Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and EPB Vice Chairman Mohammad Hasan Arif.
In addition, yesterday, Monday, he participated in a seminar on trade prospects between the two countries at the Dhaka International Trade Fair.
According to a draft schedule, tomorrow, Wednesday, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid, will visit Square Pharmaceuticals and Renata Pharmaceuticals to learn about importing more pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh.
Yesterday, Afghanistan''s Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid, met with Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman at his office.
When asked about this, the Commerce Secretary told Prothom Alo on Tuesday evening that they had a brief courtesy discussion with the Afghan Deputy Minister.
They talked about a trade agreement to increase business and trade between the two countries.
The Afghan Deputy Minister also raised the topic of duty-free benefits, expressing interest in importing more pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh. However, matters like duty-free facilities and trade agreements require following a process, which he was informed about.
Regarding the Afghan Deputy Minister's visit and courtesy meeting, the Commerce Secretary mentioned that the meeting was arranged on very short notice. However, he did not specify whether the visit was official.
Conversations with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EPB revealed that the Afghan Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid, is visiting Dhaka with a five-member delegation at the invitation of the Export Promotion Bureau.
This is the first high-level delegation visit from Afghanistan to Dhaka since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
EPB's Vice Chairman Mohammad Hasan Arif told Prothom Alo that the Afghan delegation is visiting Bangladesh at EPB's invitation to participate in the Dhaka International Trade Fair.
Currently, pharmaceuticals account for 90 per cent of the bilateral trade between the two countries, with Afghanistan showing interest in importing more pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh.
Last December, the Director-General of the First Political Division of Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, Mullah Noor Ahmed, visited Square Pharmaceuticals and Beximco Pharmaceuticals.
It was learned that during discussions with Bangladesh officials, the Afghan Deputy Minister proposed initiating cargo flights between the two countries as soon as possible to boost trade.
He stated that fruits would be transported from Kabul to Dhaka, and pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh would be sent to Kabul on return flights. He also requested investment in war-torn Afghanistan.