DHAKA, Sept 17, 2024 (BSS) – Bangladesh today urged the Swiss government to extend Duty Free Quota Free (DFQF) market access to Bangladeshi products in Switzerland at least till 2029.

The call was made when Switzerland Ambassador to Bangladesh Reto Siegfried Renggli paid his maiden courtesy call on foreign secretary Jashim Uddin at foreign ministry here this afternoon, a foreign ministry’s press release said.

 During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary sought strong Swiss support from WTO in deciding Bangladesh’s post LDC graduation.

The Swiss Ambassador assured of  conveying  Bangladesh’s request to the appropriate Swiss authorities.

He also hoped that Bangladesh would consider setting up its resident diplomatic mission in Swiss capital Bern following its LDC graduation.

Jashim highlighted the Bangladesh’s Interim Government’s priorities and reform initiatives, including formation of six commissions in this regard.

He appreciated the Swiss government for its pledge to support the Interim Government’s reform measures.

The Foreign Secretary and the Swiss Ambassador expressed that the two countries’ desire to transform Bangladesh-Switzerland bilateral relations into a broad-based economic partnership.

Jashim lauded contributions of SMEs in Swiss economy and sought Swiss support in upgrading Bangladesh’s SME sector through institutional collaboration.

The Swiss Ambassador informed that around 98% of Swiss companies belong to SME category and assured of looking  into possible collaboration in this regard.

The Foreign Secretary invited more Swiss investment in Bangladesh for mutual benefit.

The Swiss Ambassador acknowledged Bangladesh as a tremendously potential market and stressed on level playing field to attract new Swiss investment.

The Foreign Secretary assured the Ambassador of cooperation in eliminating the challenges faced by the Swiss investors.

Both sides also discussed early implementation of the Bangladesh-Switzerland MoU on Knowledge and Skills Enhancement.

The foreign secretary requested for cooperation of the Swiss authorities in identifying and returning illegal assets deposited in the Swiss banks by some Bangladeshi nationals.

The Swiss Ambassador assured of  all possible cooperation in this regard as per international standards and procedures.

The two sides also discussed Rohingya crisis and the repatriation of the displaced people to their homeland- Myanmar, with safety, security and rights.

The Swiss Ambassador assured more humanitarian support to the Rohingyas as well as to the host communities in Cox’s Bazar.