Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh will sign six major agreements in an effort to increase mutual cooperation and strengthen strategic partnership in regional and international affairs.
These accords are likely to be signed by the two sides following talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in Jeddah today. According to the schedule, Hasina will hold bilateral talks with the king at his palace in Jeddah.
Hasina, who is on a five-day official visit to the Kingdom on the invitation of King Salman, performed Umrah on Saturday. Her sister, Sheikh Rehana, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and other high-ranking officials as well as entourage members also performed Umrah.
Speaking to Arab News, Bangladesh Ambassador Golam Moshi said that the “talks between King Salman and Sheikh Hasina will cover key issues affecting the Middle East with special reference to the need for Saudi investment in Bangladesh, trade ties, training and deployment of workers from that South Asian country.” Other issues to be discussed are Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon and the problems faced by Rohingya Muslims, he added.
Moshi said that six major agreements to be endorsed by the two sides include an MoU for political consultation and an agreement for visa exemption for diplomats.
“Aiming to facilitate hassle-free entry of Bangladesh diplomats into the Kingdom and vice versa, the two countries have agreed to sign an agreement providing for exemption of visas for diplomatic staff,” said the envoy.
He pointed out that the summit meeting might also focus on Bangladesh’s role in the 34-nation Islamic Alliance. In the field of manpower, the diplomat said that Bangladesh seeks to boost relations. “We will deploy about 500,000 workers in Saudi Arabia on a staggered schedule within two years,” said the ambassador, adding that a delegation from the Ministry of Health is currently in Bangladesh to evaluate the prospects of exporting medical personnel to the Kingdom.
Moshi expressed hopes that Saudi leaders, including Prince Mohammed Ibn Salman, deputy crown prince and minister of defense; Adel Al-Jubeir, foreign minister; and Saudi labor and finance ministers will call on the Bangladesh premier during her stay in Jeddah. She arrived in Jeddah on Friday and will return to Dhaka on June 7 from the holy city of Madinah.
Referring to potential areas of cooperation between the Kingdom and Bangladesh, Moshi said that a delegation from the Saudi Agriculture Ministry recently returned from Bangladesh after making an assessment of possible cooperation in the agriculture sector. Bangladesh, he said, has a lot of expertise to offer in different sectors.
To this end, he noted the establishment of a Saudi-funded high-tech park in Bangladesh. He strongly urged Saudi businessmen to invest in that South Asian country especially in sectors like industry, infrastructure, cement, paper and fertilizers. He pointed out that a DAP fertilizer plant is being set up by a Saudi business group in that country.
The prime minister is accompanied by top government officials and eminent personalities, including the foreign minister as well a group of 10 businessmen, said the envoy. “Deals on foreign office consultations, cultural cooperation, information and communication technology investment protection and exemption of visas for diplomats are also expected to be signed during the visit,” he noted.
This is Sheikh Hasina’s first visit to Saudi Arabia since King Salman was crowned king and head of the government.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina visited Saudi Arabia in April 2009 after assuming office as the prime minister at the invitation of the then-King Abdullah.
