In an effort to strengthen connections between the two friendly countries, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today called on Saudi Arabia to increase its investment in Bangladesh. He also called for greater energy and economic cooperation.
When Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Youssef Essa Al Duhailan paid him a courtesy call at his office here, the principal adviser made the call.
“This is the time that Saudi Arabia can give the best support to us,” Prof Yunus told the Saudi envoy, terming the relationship between the two countries ‘unique’ and ‘separate’ than other countries. He said it would be “a wonderful gesture to the Interim Government” and urged the envoy to inform the Saudi government of his desire to deposit money in Bangladesh’s central bank in order to increase liquidity support as part of economic cooperation.
In order for Dhaka to transfer more skilled and trained personnel to the oil-rich nation, the chief adviser also urged for higher Saudi investment in the training of Bangladeshi youth, improved trade, and a concessional supply of energy and petroleum goods.
In recognition of the Bangladeshi diaspora’s contributions in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Al Duhailan stated that improving their skill set will enable them to receive higher wages and send more money home.
There are currently around 3 million Bangladeshis working in the kingdom, bringing in billions of US dollars per year.
According to the ambassador, Saudi Arabia offers 5,000 visas to Muslim pilgrims and migrants from Bangladesh every day on average.
About half a million Bangladeshis travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2023 to complete the umrah hajj, a 37% increase from the year before.He gave a facsimile of the falcon, Saudi Arabia’s national bird, and a copy of the Holy Quran to the main adviser.n Bangladeshis are employed in the kingdom, sending billions of US dollars annually. The envoy said Saudi Arabia issues on average 5,000 visas to Bangladeshi migrants and Muslim pilgrims daily. In 2023, about half a million Bangladeshis visited Saudi Arabia to perform umrah hajj, a 37 percent increase from the previous year. Al Duhailan said his country was eager to invest more in Bangladesh and sought support from the office of the chief adviser to facilitate proposed Saudi investment in the port and logistics sectors especially in Matarbari deep seaport, and power and renewable energy sectors by Acwa Power. He handed over two letters from the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulating the chief adviser on the occasion of Saudi National Day. “My government wants to see stability in Bangladesh, and Inshallah is ready to support the Bangladesh government,” said the Saudi ambassador. He presented the chief adviser a copy of the Holy Quran and a replica of the falcon, the national bird of Saudi Arabia.
