Dhaka: The Cabinet on Monday approved a proposal for the ratification of the Preferential Trade

Agreement (PTA) signed among eight Muslim countries of the D-8 alliance, including Bangladesh.

The approval was given at the regular weekly Cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam briefed reporters.

He said Bangladesh had not ratified the agreement signed in 2006 among the D-8 member states at a ministerial level meeting held in Bali, Indonesia.

Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran and Turkey are members of the D-8 grouping whose aim is to reduce tariffs and other barriers on specific goods in order to promote inter-trade among the D-8 members.

Shafiul Alam said negotiation had been going on for a long time to raise the quota of Bangladesh for the inclusion of products to be exported to the member countries under the agreement.

The Cabinet Secretary, however, said the agreement was ratified in today’s Cabinet meeting as the Ministry of Commerce said it should not remain pending any more.

Meanwhile, the second fourth quarterly report on implementation of the decisions of the Cabinet meetings held from April to June 2017 was also placed before the cabinet on Monday.

As per the report, 74 decisions were taken at nine meetings of the Cabinet held during the period. Of them, 53 decisions were implemented, while 21 are under the process of implementation.

Besides, 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and two work plans were also approved by the cabinet during the time, Shafiul Alam said adding that five laws approved during the time were passed in Parliament.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet unanimously adopted an obituary reference at the death of senior politician and former Member of Parliament Mohammad Ishaq Mia.