Dhaka, Bangkok to start FTA talks next month: Thai envoy

Bangladesh and Thailand will commence Free Trade Talks (FTA) in Dhaka next month to boost bilateral trade to the tune of $2 billion, Thai Ambassador to Bangladesh Makawadee Sumitmor said today.

"A high-level Thai trade delegation will visit Bangladesh in the last week of August to hold talks with the Bangladesh delegation to be headed by State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu," the envoy said at a press conference on a Thai food festival in Dhaka.

Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, in association with the Thai Trade Centre and Embassy of Thailand, will organise a four-day-long Thai Food Festival at the hotel from 10-13 July. The Thailand Trade Show will also be taking place at its Grand Ballroom, according to a press release.

While replying to a question, Makawadee Sumitmor said Thailand will send a high-level Thai business delegation to explore business potentials and the investment environment in Bangladesh.

The Thai diplomat also said during the visit to Thailand, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina invited Thai entrepreneurs and businessmen to invest in prospective sectors of Bangladesh. 

Makawadee Sumitmor further said Thai investment in Bangladesh will help reduce the trade gap between the two countries. She said trade fairs are a way to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. A total of 64 exhibitors will take part in the exhibition.

Terming Thailand as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, she said the number of visitors from Bangladesh reached pre-pandemic levels, with around 140,000 Bangladeshis touring Thailand in 2023.

Makawadee Sumitmor also said Thailand issues some 4,000 medical visas to Bangladeshis a year.

PM Sheikh Hasina visited Thailand on 24-29 April on a bilateral and multilateral visit to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.