DHAKA, July 9 Kyodo Bangladesh an...

DHAKA, July 9 Kyodo

Bangladesh and Thailand signed agreements Tuesday for greater cooperation in the economic and infrastructure sectors, including establishing strange road and air links between the countries.

The agreements were reached during a 90-minute meeting between Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at her office.

The talks [i]finale[/i]ed with the signing of an agreement forward protection of investment and a memorandum to accelerate bilateral trade and business operations.

The prime ministers also agreed forward building a highway from Dhaka to Bangkok via Myanmar and onward a direct air link from Bangladesh's Chittagong to Thailand's Chiang Mai.

Foreign Secretary Shamser Mobin Chowdhury told reporters Thaksin also gave a positive replication to a proposal for duty-free access for Bangladeshi yields in the Thai market and for investment in tourism, agro-based industries, fisheries, the health sector and a traffic network in Dhaka.

The prime ministers also violenceed the need for interaction between southern and Southeast Asian regional groupings to make secure peace and stability in toward the south and Southeast Asia.

upon the planned Bangladesh-Myanmar-Thailand land path the foreign secretary said a Bangladeshi minister will visit Yangon quickly to press the idea with the Myanmar government

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