Principal Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus urged Saudi Arabia to invest more in Bangladesh. Along with this, he wished for increased energy and economic cooperation to strengthen the relationship between the two friendly countries.
On Monday (October 28), Saudi Ambassador Essa Yusuf Essa Al Duhailan, appointed in Dhaka, made a courtesy visit to the Tejgaon office.
“Now is the time Saudi Arabia can best support us,” the chief adviser told the Saudi ambassador. He referred to the relationship between the two countries as 'unique' and 'different' compared to other countries.
Professor Yunus requested the Saudi government to deposit funds in the Central Bank of Bangladesh to increase liquidity support to Saudi Arabia as part of economic cooperation, saying that this would be a sign of excellent cooperation with the interim government.
He called for increased Saudi investment in concessional provision of energy and petroleum products, increased trade and training of Bangladeshi youth so that Dhaka can send more skilled and trained workers to the oil-rich country.
Acknowledging the contribution of Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Al Duhailan said that acquiring more skills would help them earn better salaries and send more remittances to the country.
Currently, about three million Bangladeshis are working in Saudi Arabia. They are sending billions of US dollars to the country every year.
Ambassador Al Duhailan said that Saudi Arabia issues visas to an average of 5,000 Bangladeshi immigrants and Muslim pilgrims every day. About half a million Bangladeshis went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah Hajj in 2023, which is 37 percent more than the previous year.
The ambassador also said his country is keen to invest more in Bangladesh and has sought the assistance of the Office of the Chief Adviser to facilitate proposed Saudi investments in the port and logistics sector, particularly in the Matarbari deep sea port and Akwa Power's power and renewable energy sector.
He handed over two letters from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Custodians of the Two Holy Mosques, congratulating the Chief Adviser on the occasion of Saudi National Day.
The ambassador of Saudi Arabia said that my government wants to see stability in Bangladesh and is ready to support the Bangladesh government inshallah.
At this time, he presented the chief adviser with a copy of the Holy Quran and a replica of the national bird of Saudi Arabia, the falcon.
