He said contacts with Pakistan and Sri Lanka are on to find suitable dates to launch similar negotiations with them.

Talks with Islamabad may begin at the end of this month. Dhaka is also seeking possible date from Colombo, the source added.

He said the FTA talks with Pakistan and Sri Lanka have also been planned here like the forthcoming talks with India.

Referring to the Bangladesh-India Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting that took place here in July this year, the source said progress was also made on some other issues agreed in that meeting.

He said Dhaka and Delhi have already exchanged a list of para-tariff and non-tariff barriers with a view to removing impediments to easy access of their export items.

Pointing to the difficulties that Bangladesh's exports to India encounter, the source said the recent ban on exports of cement, CI sheets and rods to India's northeastern states has only made the list of Dhaka's products facing entry problems longer.

These issues will figure prominently in the three-day FTA talks bringing pressure on parties to remove these impediments. "It remains very important in Dhaka's concern in view of the staggering trade imbalance," he observed.

Pointing to launching of Dhak-Agartala bus service last week that was agreed in the JEC meeting, the source said it proved that both sides could work jointly and move forward ignoring side issues.