The minister made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a courtesy meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at the Secretariat on Monday (August 24).

Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said discussions were held on making the borders fully operational, reopening border haats and resuming imports of yarn by land to further strengthen trade relations between the two countries. Road connectivity, including the Sabroom route and several other routes, was also discussed.

He said although some restrictions were imposed on bilateral trade following the political change in Bangladesh in 2024, the volume of bilateral trade stood at nearly $13 billion last year. He noted that economic interests often take precedence over other considerations.

The commerce minister said economic interests should be given priority in Bangladesh-India relations. This would create opportunities for consumers to access goods and services at lower prices, he added.

He said Indian businesses had expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh’s infrastructure and digital infrastructure sectors. To facilitate such investment, Bangladesh has proposed forming a task force comprising business representatives from both countries.

The commerce minister said strengthening bilateral trade ties and identifying new areas for investment is an ongoing process.