State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Monday said Bangladesh needs brotherly support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in meeting its energy needs. He said this while reflecting on the current energy crisis in view of the Russia- Ukraine war when KSA Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yousef Essa Al Duhailan met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read: UAE keen to scale up engagements with Bangladesh The Saudi envoy stated that he would take up the issue with the concerned Saudi stakeholders. The Saudi envoy also apprised the Minister about the recent terrorist activities conducted by the Houthis in Arab peninsula despite ceasefire. He appreciated the role of Bangladesh in supporting Saudi Arabia and in denouncing terrorism against the Houthis. Read: Argentina’s foreign minister says will open embassy in Dhaka: Media report During the meeting, the State Minister underlined the need to engage more efforts to scale up bilateral collaboration beyond the traditional labour market and Hajj and Umrah. He stated that Saudi Arabia was playing a more visible role in multilateral fora which is encouraging for the Muslim Ummah.

Fish, rice, mangrove trees and the lush delta wetlands where the massive Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers drain into the Bay of Bengal. It’s not luxury. But for the farmers and fishermen who live by the world’s largest mangrove forest, it’s more than enough. Now, the environment is at risk. A power plant will start burning coal near the Sundarbans this year as part of Bangladesh’s plan to meet its energy needs and improve living standards, officials say. Home to 168 million people, Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world. Once the power plant begins functioning at its full capacity, it will generate 1,320 megawatts of power, as much as Bangladesh’s largest coal power plant generates now. The developing world needs its people to live better. But fossil fuel-powered economic growth can create environmental problems and make lives worse. Read more: Power flow set up from Payra plant to Rampal sub-station