Italy urged to take sympathetic view regarding GSP

Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria yesterday said grounds were already prepared to move fast in implementing reform programmes to achieve better discipline in various fields, reports UNB.

The government is determined to carry our reform programmes in different sectors including privatisation of state-owned enterprises, he told Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Patrizia Toia when she called on him at his office yesterday.

Kibria briefed Toia on the different measures in administrative, financial and legal sectors for attaching investment to ensure rapid development of the country. He also stressed the need for generating fund from the foreign aid and domestic resources.

The Finance Minister sought greater cooperation and assistance of Italy in social infrastructure like education, health-care and family planning in addition to substantial infrastructure development cooperation.

He urged the Italian Deputy Foreign Minister to take sympathetic view regarding the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) facility for better trade present of Bangladesh.

Toia assured of her country's increased support and cooperation for the development of Bangladesh and also appreciated its reform programmes.

During the meeting, they hoped that economic ties between the two countries will grow further in the days ahead.

Italian Ambassador in Dhaka Dr Raffaele Miniero was present.

Meanwhile, Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Patrizia Toia called on Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad at his office yesterday.

They discussed matters relating to mutual interests with special reference to economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister thanked Toia for providing soft loan and considering Bangladesh's proposal on Generalised System of Preference (GSP) in tariff concession.