Dhaka to host trade talks with Malaysia from Oct 27

Bangladesh and Malaysia begin the first round of talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) in Dhaka on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, running three days until Thursday, 29 October. A 30-member Malaysian delegation led by Dr Rashidi Saeed of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) has arrived. Bangladesh's team is led by Additional Secretary Khadija Nazneen of the WTO wing of the Commerce Ministry, with Joint Secretary Mustafizur Rahman as deputy chief negotiator. The talks will be opened by the commerce secretary, and draft proposals have already been exchanged. Dainik Sangbad reports that the negotiating team was reshuffled at short notice after senior officials were transferred, and that the commerce ministry has not officially commented on this. Both governments aim to conclude the agreement by 2027, following a June agreement between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Malaysian leaders. Jugantor reports Bangladesh exported about $3.05 billion in goods to Malaysia and imported about $220 million from January 2025 to July 2026, and says the gap needs verification.

Where accounts differ. Dainik Sangbad alone reports that the Bangladesh negotiating team was reshuffled at short notice after senior officials were transferred and that officials have raised experience concerns, while Jugantor does not mention this; the outlets also differ on the venue, with Jugantor naming Hotel Sonargaon and Dainik Sangbad saying a local hotel.

Dainik SangbadJugantor

Written by AI from these outlets' articles: facts they report, claims attributed, numbers checked against the sources. It may still contain errors; read the originals.