The Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry was launched in Dhaka on Tuesday with great optimism that trade and investment relations between Bangladesh and the north European countries would further boost in the days ahead.
At the launching ceremony, held at Westin Hotel, Norway’s environment and development cooperation minister Erik Solheim and Bangladesh commerce minister Faruk Khan echoed each other, hoping that the chamber would help foster business and economic cooperation.
Diplomats and businessmen from the Scandinavian countries and business leaders of Bangladesh said trade and investment relations between Bangladesh and the countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland developed tremendously in recent years, indicating such business would further boost in the years to come. Speaking on the occasion, commerce Minister Faruk Khan said at present Bangladesh’s annual trade with the Nordic countries amounted worth $750 million with more than half a billion in exports.
The Norwegian minister Erik Solheim said that Bangladesh had done tremendous development in social sectors, including empowerment of women.
Erik, a socialist politician, hoped that Bangladesh would benefit by following the Nordic model of socially responsible economic development which is followed even by many developed countries. Svend Olling, the ambassador of Denmark, said his country’s commercial relations with Bangladesh developed astonishingly in recent times. The Dhaka mission of Denmark has been listed as one of the best performing missions of Denmark across the world, he told the function.
NCCI will be an important step for encouraging and enhancing trade between the north European countries and Bangladesh, the Nordic ambassadors earlier said in a joint statement.
Nordic companies in Bangladesh formed the NCCI for establishing a platform to promote and serve their business community in Bangladesh, to provide a platform for creating and safeguarding new business opportunities and to promote bilateral trade, services and investments between the Nordic countries and Bangladesh.
The founding members and sponsors of the NCCI include ERICSSON, Telenor, Brummer & Partners, Logic Management Consulting, Arla, Magnus and Maersk.
Membership of the NCCI is open to all Nordic individuals and all legal entities registered in a Nordic country or in Bangladesh, at least 20 per cent of which are owned by Nordic companies.
AM Hamim Rahmatullah, president of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry moderated the launching ceremony of the NCCI, which is the 15th bilateral chamber in Bangladesh.
