NDA possible with a country, not exactly sure about US: Foreign adviser
“Non-disclosure agreement can certainly be done with a country…I have given you a very technical answer,” he said
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) can be signed with a country but he does not know exactly what will happen in case of the United States as the negotiations are still underway led by the Commerce Ministry.
"Non-disclosure agreement can certainly be done with a country…I have given you a very technical answer," he said without getting into details.
The Foreign Adviser made the remarks when asked about the outcome of tariff negotiations and whether they (interim government) have the authority to sign the NDA.
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An NDA, also known as a confidentiality agreement, is usually a legally binding contract that outlines confidential information and restricts its disclosure to unauthorised parties.
The Adviser said the ministry concerned knows what will happen or not in this case. "I do not want to make a comment on this. Since negotiations are ongoing, let's see what the outcome is," he said.
Earlier, Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said the interim government is preparing for another round of talks with Washington, hoping to reach a consensus before the August 1 deadline.
Dhaka remains optimistic that a positive outcome can be achieved within the stipulated time as Bangladesh and the United States have agreed on some more issues on the third and final day of the second round of trade talks between the two countries.
Starting on August 1, 2025, US President Donald Trump said they will charge Bangladesh a tariff of only 35% on any and all Bangladeshi products sent into the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs.
Both sides have decided that inter-ministerial discussions will continue among themselves and the representatives of the two countries will sit in on the talks again.
Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin on Monday described the recently held tariff policy discussions between Bangladesh and the United States as 'encouraging'.
"We returned from the US Sunday after concluding the talks. We briefed our stakeholders on various aspects of the discussions," he told reporters following a meeting at the Ministry of Commerce.
Sk Bashir shared insights into the draft Reciprocal Tariff Agreement currently under negotiation between the two countries and confirmed that preparations are already underway for the third round of discussions.
"We are preparing to visit the United States again this month. We're hopeful of a positive outcome," he said.
