Mr. Essa Youssef Essa Al Duhailan, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Md. Jashim Uddin, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
The Ambassador congratulated the Foreign Secretary on his assumption of responsibilities of the Ministry. The Foreign Secretary thanked him and shared some recent developments taking place in the country in addition to the initiatives and reforms agenda taken up by the Interim Government.
The Ambassador recalled the invaluable contributions of Bangladeshi expatriate workers to the Saudi economy and society, praising them as diligent and hardworking and added that local Saudi Embassy is issuing a good number of visas everyday which is adding up to the already 3 million workforces employed in Saudi Arabia. Further, the Ambassador expressed eagerness to recruit more workers, especially skilled and trained workforce to support its ambitious initiatives like Green Saudi Initiative and mega projects under the Kingdom Vision 2030.
The Foreign Secretary appreciated Saudi Arabia’s role in de-escalating regional tensions and fostering stability. Commending its leadership role to the Islamic Ummah, he reaffirmed Bangladesh’s unwavering support to Saudi Arabia in achieving regional stability. He also expressed Bangladesh’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause and called for urgent action for the realization of Two-State solution.
The Ambassador recalled Bangladesh’s steadfast support for Saudi Arabia in various international fora, including the upcoming 2034 Football World Cup and IORA, and expressed gratitude for the enduring fraternity between the two nations.
During the meeting, the Ambassador briefed the Foreign Secretary on some pending Saudi initiatives including establishment of Iconic Mosques and an Arabic Language Institute in Dhaka and sought his cooperation in expediting them. The Saudi Envoy also apprised him on the current Saudi investment initiatives in the port logistics and renewable and power sectors. The Foreign Secretary assured the Ambassador of his commitment to addressing any outstanding issues and encouraged him to explore further potential for increasing investment from KSA. He pledged full support to facilitate the removal of any obstacles hindering such investments.
Both the Foreign Secretary and the Ambassador underscored the necessity of maintaining continuous engagement between their governments, including political consultations and the high-level Joint Economic Commission (JEC) as well as the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) on Manpower between the two countries.