Attendees at the event included member of the Bangladeshi Parliament Alhaj Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizvandary, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Matlub Ahmad, Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Tran Van Khoa, and nearly 100 representatives from the two nations’ enterprises.
Addressing the workshop, Ambassador Khoa called on Vietnamese and Bangladeshi enterprises to take full advantages of trade and economic cooperation potential in a bid to raise the two-way trade value to 1 billion USD set by the two nations’ leaders in 2015.
The diplomat also briefed participants on Vietnam’s situation as well as opportunities to invest in the country and its orientations for foreign investment attraction. Local firms expressed their hope that Vietnamese enterprises would increase the import of pharmaceuticals, non-oil rice bran, jute, shrimps and leather products from Bangladesh, saying that most of Vietnamese businesses have bought these products from India and China at higher prices.
On this occasion, a delegation of Vietnamese businesses operating in various fields such as advertisement designing, information and communications technology, finance-banking and fertiliser production paid a fact-finding tour and worked with Bangladeshi partners.
Vietnamese firms highly evaluated the Bangladeshi market’s potential, saying that they have worked with a US market research company to promptly explore the market. On the sidelines of the workshop, the Bangladesh-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BVCCI) made its debut.
FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad said the launching of the BVCCI was an important event for Bangladeshi and Vietnamese businesses as it would serve as a bridge supporting them in penetrating in each other’s markets.
Ambassador Khoa said BVCCI is the first organisation run by Bangladesh firms to promote trade ties with Vietnam, pledging that the embassy would support BVCCI’s operation, thus contributing to the enhancement of the traditional friendship between the two countries.
Both sides affirmed mutual support and proposed joint initiatives in fields of shared interest, including sustainable development, disaster response, water and food and energy security. At the mean time reiterating joint efforts for intensified coordination between ASEAN and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in diverse areas for the sake of peace, cooperation and development in Asia.
Vietnam took note of Bangladesh’s call for support for its bid as a dialogue partner of ASEAN and encouraged Bangladesh to propel its specific and effective links with ASEAN. They also stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability and respecting the fundamental principles of international law in addressing disputes on maritime safety and freedom.
