The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), signed recently, may cast negative impact on the Asian least developed countries including Bangladesh, the country’s Ambassador to Washington Mohammad Ziauddin has told United States Congressman Mike Kelly, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee dealing with tax, trade and economic growth policies. During a meeting with the congressman on Monday, the envoy said that on the basis of justice and equal treatment, US should consider all LDCs to grant duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) access, especially when the European Union (EU) is providing DFQF access to all 48 LDCs, according to a press release forwarded by the Bangladesh embassy in Washington yesterday. Ambassador Ziauddin said that although Bangladesh, the current LDC chair, is the largest apparel exporter to the USA, it along with other Asian LDCs do not get DFQF access of their products to the US market. However, he pointed out that all the 34 African LDCs under a group called ‘AGOA’ (African Growth and Opportunity Act) are enjoying this facility. In response, Congressman Kelly said he would consider the DFQF issue positively and emphasised on opening a line of communication to exchange further information in this regard. While briefing the US lawmaker on various development activities of Bangladesh, Ambassador Ziauddin mentioned about the mutual cooperation between Dhaka and Washington in countering terrorism and extremism. As a victim of terrorist acts, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a strong believer of zero tolerance to terrorism and violent extremism, he said, adding that Bangladesh is working closely with its neighbours and the US for eliminating extremism and terrorism from South Asia. The ambassador told the congressman that the present government attaches high priority to women empowerment and education including modern madrasa education. He said 90 per cent of four million workers in the RMG industry are women who have stepped out of their homes and are contributing to poverty alleviation, literacy, and above all weakening extremism and reinforcing the government efforts to eliminate extremism and terrorism.
