Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Sunday described the Kurigram Special Economic Zone (SEZ), now under construction through a Government-to-Government (G2G) partnership, as a strategically important project that will deepen economic ties between Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Speaking during a meeting with Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun at the InterContinental Dhaka, Tobgay said the Kurigram SEZ would eventually connect with Bhutan’s upcoming “Gelephu Mindfulness City,” a planned special administrative region. He noted that the linkage could create a new corridor of industrial and commercial cooperation between the two neighbours.

Talks during the bilateral meeting centred on the establishment of the Bhutanese SEZ in Bangladesh and broader areas of economic collaboration. Tobgay highlighted emerging opportunities for Bhutanese entrepreneurs in Bangladesh’s financial sector and other industries, expressing interest in sending a high-level delegation to assess these prospects.

Ashik Chowdhury reaffirmed Bangladesh’s full commitment to implementing the Kurigram Economic Zone and supporting the Gelephu–Kurigram economic linkage. “Kurigram and Gelephu may become complementary engines for our joint economic future,” he said, adding that Bangladesh’s large consumer base, skilled workforce, and expanding global connectivity could help shape a new-generation model of bilateral economic cooperation.

BEZA also assured that necessary regulatory coordination and procedural steps would be taken to advance the SEZ’s development.

The idea of establishing an SEZ in Kurigram dedicated to Bhutanese investors originated during a meeting between the two governments in London in 2023. Following sustained diplomatic engagement, the initiative advanced significantly on March 25, 2024, when Bangladesh and Bhutan signed an MoU during the Bhutanese King’s state visit to Dhaka, formally confirming the zone as a G2G project.

Soon after, the King inspected the proposed SEZ site in Kurigram district.

Based on Bhutan’s interest, BEZA proposed allocating 219.64 acres of land across four mouzas—Madhabram, Bancharam, Sora, and Kalyan—in Kurigram Sadar Upazila for the Bhutanese Special Economic Zone.

Sunday’s meeting was attended by Major General (Retd) Nazrul Islam, BEZA’s Executive Member for Planning and Development, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Embassy in Bhutan.
The Bhutanese delegation included Ambassador Rinchen Kuentsel and high-ranking officials from Bhutan’s Health, Trade, and Industry ministries.