A high-profile delegation from oil-rich Saudi Arabia will soon visit Bangladesh to discuss cooperation in the energy sector, said the country’s ambassador Essa Yussef Essa Al on Thursday.
Talking to reporters at the Saudi Embassy here, the envoy said his country is one of the key players in balancing the oil market and Riyadh and Dhaka are helping each other on many fronts.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) finds Bangladesh as a “top priority country” and is interested in a long-term strategic plan to contribute to the economic growth of the country.
The Saudi ambassador said the soon-to-visit delegation led by the Saudi Investment Minister will also discuss with Bangladesh the investment issues.
He said the Saudi Investment Minister will visit Bangladesh within a couple of months and the two sides will get an opportunity to discuss cooperation in the energy sector.
Responding to a question, the Saudi ambassador said the Saudi companies plan to invest more than US$ 10 billion in Bangladesh in coming years.
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Prominent Saudi companies including Aramco, Aqua Power and Red Sea Gate are going to invest in several projects in different sectors, he added.
The Saudi envoy said they are taking preparations to sign several MoUs on defence cooperation to strengthen the existing ties.
Referring to cooperation in the manpower sector, he said his country accommodates over 2.6 million Bangladeshi workers who provide over US$ 3.5 billion annually.
“Every day we issue 5 to 8 thousand visas to Bangladeshis from our embassy,” he said.
In response to the letter of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on Wednesday conveyed his support to Saudi Arabia for hosting the World Expo 2030 in Riyadh.
“We have excellent relations. We always receive full solidarity,” he said, thanking Bangladesh for the support.
The KSA is hosting Expo 2030 in Riyadh and Bangladesh’s support to Saudi Arabia reflects the absolute growing relationship between the two brotherly Muslim countries, said the Saudi ambassador.
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Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammad Javed Patwary handed over the original copy of the president's letter addressed to the Saudi king to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan during a meeting at the latter's office.
The Saudi foreign minister expressed his satisfaction with the relationship between Bangladesh and his country and was looking forward to deepening the ties.
The two sides also discussed the ongoing cooperation between them and issues of mutual interest.
KSrelief Activities
The ambassador said the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud established the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on May 13, 2015 to serve as the Kingdom's humanitarian representative to the rest of the world.
The center's purpose is to provide humanitarian and relief aid outside of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the third largest donor country worldwide, said the envoy.
“The King Salman humanitarian aid and relief center team is here to monitor the ongoing projects in Bangladesh. The team is collaborating in Cox's Bazar with UNICEF and the Islamic Development Bank, who examined the project's progress to provide primary health care for Rohingyas’ health and nutrition needs,” he added.
Additionally, the ambassador said, the voluntary medical initiative to fight blindness and its causes in Bangladesh was integrated on Monday by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
The King Salman Center’s plans for this year include 100 projects under the Noor Saudi Volunteer Program to fight to fight blindness in more than 30 nations.
“I am happy to announce that Bangladesh received a significant amount of funding after seven projects, of which three have already been carried out and the rest will be done in the near future,” he said.