Bangladesh, Oct. 27 -- Bangladesh and Malaysia have formally begun negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA), aiming to conclude a deal by 2027 to boost bilateral trade and investment.

Commerce Secretary Sharf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury inaugurated the first round of talks at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Tuesday. The three-day negotiations will continue until October 29.

Malaysia's 31-member delegation is led by its chief negotiator, Dr Rashidi Said, a senior director at Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), while Bangladesh's chief negotiator is Khadija Nazneen, Additional Secretary (WTO) at the Ministry of Commerce.

The two sides signed the terms of reference (ToR) at the opening session, setting...