After a two-day meeting that ended on Sunday in Dhaka, the participants of the forum signed "Dhaka Statement 2007" where they recommended that BCIM governments provide zero-tariff access for products to increase trade in the region.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the meeting of the forum that focused on further strengthening regional economic cooperation especially in three major areas--trade, transport and tourism.

Signed by the four heads of delegations of the BCIM countries, the Dhaka Statement 2007 said only a few inter-state connectivity infrastructures exist and alternative connectivity infrastructures need to be built to increase communications among these nations.

With a view to highlighting the importance of regional transport facilities, the representatives agreed to hold the "BCIM Car Rally 2007" in November this year. The forum also decided the eighth meeting of BCIM forum will be held in Myanmar in 2008.

On trade, the delegates in the forum recommended that officials of the forum member countries be posted in the major cities of partner countries to foster trade.

The gathering also identified certain ports in the region and proposed that they be used for inter-port trade.

A total of 2.5 billion, 40 percent of the world population, live in the BCIM countries, therefore, the enormous potential of BCIM can easily be fathomed, Major General (retd) Abdul Matin, adviser to the ministries of communication, shipping, civil aviation and tourism and Liberation War affairs, said while speaking as chief guest at the concluding session of the forum on Sunday.

The adviser said the BCIM countries are close neighbours with traditions of economic and cultural interactions from time immemorial and that exist at present. However, he expressed his concerns over the heavy trade imbalance of Bangladesh in favour of India and China. He said trade among these countries has been increasing and it went up to $23.92 billion in 2005.

About the improvement of seaport he said, "A properly functioning seaport with excellent rail and road connectivity across the region can significantly influence Bangladesh's economic growth."

"To realise this, the present caretaker government has initiated some short- and long-term measures for improvements of port facilities," the adviser said.

Speaking at the forum, CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan, who headed the Bangladesh delegation, sought the government's support for the BCIM initiatives to accelerate the activities of the forum. Governments of China and Myanmar provide support for the forum.

Che Zhimin, deputy secretary general of Yunnan Provincial Government of China, Ambassador Eric Gonsalves, a retired officer of the Indian Foreign Service, and Maung Myint, deputy foreign minister of Myanmar, Debapriya Bhattacharya, executive director, CPD, also spoke on the occasion.