Bangladesh and India have jointly agreed to expedite negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with the aim of concluding the process by 2026.
The decision to prioritise the CEPA discussions emerged during the foreign-office consultation held recently in Delhi, addressing various matters of mutual interest, including Bangladesh’s upcoming polls.
Following the consultation, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, who led the Bangladeshi delegation, explained that the Indian side sought insights into Bangladesh’s preparation and negotiations with international institutions to address post-graduation challenges.
As Bangladesh is set to lose preferential trade facilities after graduation, both countries acknowledged that CEPA could serve as a mechanism to mitigate the potential shocks.
Consequently, it was mutually decided to finalise the negotiations before November 2026.