PM’s Adviser favors review, not cancellation, of US-Bangladesh trade deal

Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said he favors reviewing, rather than cancelling, the “US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement,” adding that Dhaka wants to enter negotiations with Washington under provisions of the deal on Tuesday (May 12).

Speaking at a regular press briefing on government activities at the Secretariat in Dhaka, the adviser said the agreement contains options for both cancellation and amendment through mutual discussion.

“The agreement can be cancelled with a 60-day notice. There is also another condition allowing the two countries to modify different terms of the deal through negotiations,” he said. “From my position, I believe the second option — reviewing the agreement — should be considered first.”

Bangladesh and the United States signed the reciprocal trade agreement, formally known as the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), on February 9, just three days before the national parliamentary election. The deal has since sparked widespread discussion and criticism.

Zahed Ur Rahman said he had discussed the issue with the prime minister and that the government was internally reviewing the agreement and assessing the possible impact of cancelling what he described as a “very strong agreement.”

“We understand the context in which the agreement was signed, and we also understand the consequences that cancellation could bring,” he said. “We want to reconsider certain provisions that may be problematic or potentially harmful to the state and then move toward negotiations with the United States.”

He warned that outright cancellation could revive tensions over reciprocal tariffs and negatively affect bilateral relations.
Chief Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed and Additional Secretary of the Information Ministry Mohammad Yasin were also present at the briefing.