The sixth Joint Trade Commission (JTC) meeting between Bangladesh and Thailand, which was scheduled to be held in Dhaka late this month, has been postponed due to the rising trend in coronavirus infections.
The meeting is expected to be held at a mutually convenient time later, officials at the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) said on Sunday.
They said the authorities of Thailand conveyed the message of rescheduling the meeting in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.
"In view of the changed circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, they (Thailand) would propose a new set of dates for the meeting," the foreign ministry wrote to the MoC.
The JTC is the most important platform for holding bilateral trade negotiations between the two countries, said a high official.
The fifth JTC meeting was held in Bangkok on January 08, 2020.
Officials said Thailand has recently decided to offer duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access for Bangladeshi products in its market until 2026 as the previous arrangement in this regard expired on December 31, 2020.
"We hope that the Thai government will continue providing the DFQF facility to Bangladesh even after the country's graduation from LDC status in 2026," said a high official.
The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Thailand fell to US$ 910.05 million in 2020 from $1,067.90 million in 2019, according to official sources.
rezamumu@gmail.com