United News of Bangladesh

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said Bangladesh wants to see an economic partnership with India that is "equally beneficial and brings tangible changes" to people's lives. "I am confident that the business communities of our two countries have both the vision and the capacity to make this happen. We can collectively identify practical solutions to the challenges," she said, noting that greater predictability and ease of doing business would benefit businesses in both countries. The State Minister made the remarks while speaking at a reception on Tuesday night that brought together a delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and leading members of the business community in Bangladesh for meaningful interactions aimed at advancing bilateral economic and commercial cooperation and fostering stronger business-to-business linkages between Bangladesh and India. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi hosted the reception in honour of leading Bangladeshi business leaders and members of the CII delegation. Delegation leader and CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee and Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe also spoke at the reception. High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi highlighted the shared aspirations of the youth and the development goals of both countries. He underscored the important role of businesses in translating these aspirations into opportunities, building enduring partnerships and fostering long-lasting ties between India and Bangladesh. Shama Obaed held discussions with Indian business leaders, during which they identified several issues. She said the new government has a forward-looking approach to trade and investment, which the Indian business community may explore for mutually beneficial Bangladesh-India economic cooperation. "From my side, I have assured them that we will try our best to resolve those issues, and we want more vibrant trade, investment and communication between the two countries," she said, describing the meeting as productive and fruitful. Investment important pillar The State Minister said business visas for Bangladeshis should be issued more quickly so that businesspeople can travel to India more frequently. "We want our businesses and private sectors to communicate with their counterparts in India more frequently," she said, noting that investment is an equally important pillar of the future economic relationship.