Bangladesh, July 20 -- Expediting the long-pending BIMSTEC Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement is essential to unlock the region's untapped trade potential, strengthen connectivity and transform the Bay of Bengal into a dynamic hub of economic growth, speakers said at a seminar organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) on Monday.

They observed that despite representing nearly 1.8 billion people and possessing enormous economic potential, intra-regional trade among BIMSTEC member states remains far below its capacity due to regulatory fragmentation, incomplete trade agreements and inadequate connectivity. They stressed that Bangladesh, as the current chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-S...