Bangladesh wants to sign a free trade agreement with South America. This is a market of 300 million consumers across an economic and political bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

South America and Bangladesh hope to improve people-to-people contacts, enhance economic cooperation and work together on new global development agendas. Bangladesh views Latin America not just as a market for exports, but as a valued partner with whom its people could share its culture. Bangladesh and Latin American countries have shared cultural and emotional ties for long, though Bangladesh has only two missions – in Brazil and Mexico – in the entire region. Brazil is the only Latin American country that has a mission in Dhaka.

Bengali Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was a major literary figure in South America during his time and many of his works have been translated in Spanish. His works have influenced other literary figures of his age, such as José Ortegay Gassett, a leading Spanish intellectual of the time, Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda in Chile and Octavio Paz in Mexico. Footballers Pele, Maradona and Messi are household names in Bangladesh, as the country has very strong support for Argentine and Brazilian football.