Bangladesh, Singapore Pledge to Finalize FTA by 2026

Bangladesh and Singapore reaffirmed their commitment to finalizing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by 2026 during the Fourth Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in Singapore today.

In addition to the FTA, the two countries agreed to advance discussions on several key agreements, including the Agreement on Customs Cooperation, the Revised Protocol for the Avoidance of Double Taxation, the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, and an MoU on Tourism Cooperation.

The consultations were led by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin and Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luke Goh, as outlined in a foreign ministry press release issued this evening.

The FOC also provided a platform for both nations to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in emerging areas such as trade and investment, energy, connectivity, digital economy, agriculture, tourism, waste management, and human resource development. Discussions also touched on regional and global issues.

During the talks, Jashim Uddin highlighted Bangladesh’s strong reputation as a supplier of high-quality products such as ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, leather goods, ceramics, jute products, and footwear. He encouraged greater engagement from Singapore’s business community to help balance the trade relationship.

Acknowledging Singapore as one of Bangladesh’s top investors, Uddin called for increased Singaporean investment, particularly in the energy sector and Bangladesh’s Economic Zones.

The two sides also discussed potential cooperation in agricultural technology, agri-logistics, contract farming, and tourism infrastructure development.

Both nations recognized the significant contributions of Bangladeshi nationals working in Singapore and explored future collaboration in human resource development, focusing on training and skills enhancement.

Additionally, Bangladesh sought Singapore’s support in developing a Waste-to-Energy plant to bolster sustainable energy generation.

Bangladesh expressed gratitude for Singapore’s support in its bid to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN and reiterated its interest in joining the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The meeting also addressed regional issues such as climate change, migration, and developments in South and Southeast Asia.

Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin extended an invitation for his Singaporean counterpart to visit Dhaka for the next round of foreign office consultations.