By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka
Saudi Arabia has assured Bangladesh of resuming issuance of Umrah visa to Bangladeshi pilgrims after the coming Haj season, and recruitment of workers in all sectors gradually.
“The government of Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to its relationship with Bangladesh,” Dr Nizar bin Obaid Madani, Saudi Arabia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, said in Jeddah on Monday, according to the foreign ministry in Dhaka.
The Saudi also expressed readiness to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on foreign office consultations (FOC) proposed by Bangladesh to further strengthen the relations
between the two countries.
He said this at a meeting with Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam.
Shahriar Alam arrived in Saudi Arabia on August 2 on a three-day official visit.
During the bilateral meeting, the two ministers discussed the whole gamut of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. Shahriar Alam requested the Saudi government to recruit more professionals, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers from Bangladesh for various infrastructure and development projects in Saudi Arabia.
In response, the Saudi State Minster informed that his government has already started recruiting Bangladeshi female domestic helpers and recruitment of workers for all other sectors would begin gradually.
The Saudi State Minister lauded Bangladesh’s achievements in socio-economic sectors in recent years and hoped that other countries, particularly member-states of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), would be encouraged to follow the suit.
Mentioning that the existing relationship with Bangladesh has been ‘healthy and going to right direction’, he said the signing of a MoU on bilateral political consultations between the two countries, as proposed by the Bangladesh State Minister, would create new platforms for different ministries and departments of the two countries to engage more on mutually beneficial areas of
co-operation.