PM’s UN engagements to have far-reaching positive impact on trade: Muktadir

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said on Saturday that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s bilateral meetings and other engagements during his visit to the United Nations are expected to have a far-reaching positive impact on Bangladesh’s trade and investment.

“The Prime Minister is the country’s principal leader. When he discusses issues of national interest with other countries, it means those matters are being raised at the highest level on behalf of Bangladesh,” he said.

The minister made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after the induction ceremony of the Sylhet Metropolitan Business Association in Dakshin Surma on Saturday.

He said the Prime Minister had around 30 engagements, including nearly 11 bilateral meetings, during his UN visit.

“These programmes will certainly have a positive impact on the country’s trade and investment. We hope to see far-reaching positive results,” he said.

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Regarding Bangladesh’s relations with other countries, Muktadir said, “All countries are our friends. We want to move forward by maintaining cooperative relations with everyone.”

Asked about the possible impact of the ongoing global conflicts on trade, he said the situation was constantly changing and its impact could not be assessed based on a fixed scenario.

He said Bangladesh had recently been forced to make a partial adjustment to fuel prices and was working to strengthen and streamline the supply chain so that the impact on commodity prices could be minimised.

“We are working to ensure that prices do not rise unreasonably anywhere and that supplies are not disrupted under any circumstances,” he said.

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Earlier, speaking at the business association’s induction ceremony, Muktadir announced plans to establish an AI training centre in Sylhet.

He said he had discussed the matter with the Information and Communications Technology Minister and that the initiative aimed to train young people and develop their skills for the information technology sector.

Many young people in Bangladesh are earning through freelancing, he said, adding that the government wanted to create opportunities for young people in Sylhet to join the sector through training.

If the training centre could be operated properly, a large number of young people in Sylhet would have opportunities to work in freelancing and the broader IT sector, he said.

“I have discussed the matter with our ICT minister. InshaAllah, I will bring him to Sylhet next week or the following week, and we will establish an AI training centre here,” Muktadir said.