"A Joint Commission with UAE will be something in the right direction," Commerce Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed told a visiting delegation from the UAE who met the minister at his office yesterday.

"The business council will be mutually beneficial for sourcing goods as global corporate bodies are stationed in Dubai," said UAE delegation leader Khalifa Mohammed Abdul Aziz Rubaya Al Muhairi, also a Board member of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI).

The commerce minister, however, requested the delegation to submit a formal proposal on the business council or joint chamber body so that Bangladesh could consider it officially.

He stressed the need for frequent exchanges of trade delegations between the two countries to establish wider contact among the businessmen.

The minister invited UAE businessmen to invest in the prospective sectors of Bangladesh taking advantage of the EPZ facilities. He also assured them that Bangladesh would consider UAE's request to facilitate them with special area exclusively for UAE investment.

The UAE delegation apprised the minister of their investment interest in aviation and tourism sectors. They also sought clear parameters for their investments.

The UAE business delegation also expressed interest in pharmaceutical products of Bangladesh as they visited a Beximco plant in Gazipur yesterday.

The delegation showed special interest in the company's high-tech specialised products like inhalers, nasal sprays, suppositories, injectables and IV fluids (Saline), said a corporate release.

Visiting different production lines and installations of Beximco Pharma plant, the UAE business team appreciated the quality, absolutely sterile environment and minimum human contact in producing drugs at the plant.

They also visited the state-of-the-art IV Fluid plant, Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) plant and new USFDA standard Oral Solid Dosage (OSD) plant.

Beximco Pharma, a leading drug manufacturer and the largest pharmaceutical exporter of Bangladesh, provides technical know-how to its importers and also offers contract-manufacturing facilities to the multinational companies.

Calling on also Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan at his office, the UAE delegation discussed issues relating to economic cooperation between Bangladesh and the UAE.

The minister apprised them of the country's attractive investment climate, cheap labour and efficient private sector.

"There are enormous scopes to cooperate with each other in economic fields as well as joint venture initiatives in Bangladesh for mutual benefit of the two peoples," he told the delegation, which showed investment interest in Bangladesh.

They were interested in increasing air frequencies between Bangladesh and Abu Dhabi, especially for Etihad, an airline of their country.

They requested the minister for his support for establishment of air connectivity to Chittagong.

The UAE business delegation also visited the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) and appreciated its security, production-friendly atmosphere and incentive package, said a press release.