Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Pascal Lamy on Friday said that the Chittagong seaport was an effective and important element in trade and regional connectivity in South Asia.
The WTO chief said this at a meeting with businessmen organised by the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) at a hotel in the port city.
Lamy said that the capacity of the Chittagong seaport had increased manifolds over the last few years. And it (the port) was being considered as an effective one in terms of the volume of container handling.
He said it was necessary to underline the importance of modern technology in container handling to accelerate activities.
The WTO chief said that currently, more than 90 percent of Bangladesh’s export and import were being done through the Chittagong port. Due to the port’s geographical location, Bangladesh's neighbouring countries could also use it as a transit point.
Lamy said that trade through Chittagong port has been flourishing even amid the global economic downturn since 2008.
Commerce Secretary Mahbubul Alam, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Commerce Amitava Chakraborty, Abdul Hannan, Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative (PR) to the UN Office in Geneva, former Advisor to the caretaker government Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman and CCCI President Murshed Murad Ibrahim were present at the meeting.
Earlier, Lamy visited different channels of the port.The WTO top official arrived in Dhaka on Thursday on a two-day visit to discuss trade issues.BD News24.com
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