Bangladesh’s trade benefits in the United States market under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) were not reinstated as the country could not fulfil the set conditions, Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi said yesterday. He made the remarks while addressing a seminar on foreign policy at National Defence College in Mirpur of the capital, according to the online edition of Bangla daily Prothom Alo. The defence college, in association with Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies and Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, organised the seminar. “We have to live up to the pledges we made to improve the labour standards in the country. Then, we will get back the GSP,” Rizvi was quoted as saying. The foreign investment is not increasing due to procedural lengthiness and the lack of good governance, he said. It may be mentioned that Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, earlier this month, said the GSP trade benefits for Bangladeshi products were not reinstated due to political reasons. However, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat denied the allegation.
