The energy sector in Bangladesh has attracted interest from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), notably in terms of renewable energy.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the visiting UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, displayed this zeal today when he paid Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a courtesy visit at her official house Ganabhaban in this city.
“We are very interested in the energy sector, especially renewable energy alongside conventional energy,” PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said while briefing reporters after the meeting.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed, who is also the managing director of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and chairman of the energy firm Masdar, announced that two teams from the UAE will be traveling to Bangladesh to talk business and renewable energy respectively.
They mostly discussed bilateral relations, including economic cooperation, and climate change during the conference.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed, who is also the Special Envoy for Climate Change for the UAE and the President-Designate for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), complimented Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership on the subject of climate change and asked for her continued support.
Additionally, he asked the prime minister to offer more assistance with the problems of food security and climate change. In order to resolve the issue before the COP28, he added, they are applying pressure on the collecting of climate funds. “We want to be a game changer,” he said.
The minister stated that the UAE is making green efforts and that they hope the COP28 would have a positive effect there.
The COP28, according to the prime minister, would feature a global assessment of the Paris Agreement.
“We hope the UAE presidency will help making a realistic assessment of the progress and the huge gaps that remain to accelerate climate actions globally to maintain the 1.5 degree temperature,” she said.
Talking about the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and UAE, the premier said, “We’ve many things in common.”
PM’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, PM’s ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin, PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin and Environment, Forest and Climate Changes Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed and UAE ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Ali Al Hamoudi were present.
