UAE Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdulla Ali ALHmoudi has said the ties between his country and Bangladesh are based on the principles of cooperation and mutual respect. "The partnership between the countries and peoples reached a new height in recent years. The mutual visits of the leaders and officials of the two countries, and the ever-increasing trade, economic and cultural exchanges, are powerful indicators of the strength of bilateral relations in various fields," he added. "The UAE and Bangladesh have enjoyed deep-rooted historical relations since 1971, and both of our governments strengthened the bilateral relations in various sectors," he said while celebrating the UAE's 51st National Day on Thursday in Dhaka. Read: UAE keen to expand air connectivity with Bangladesh The embassy held a grand reception at a hotel, bringing a taste of home to the members of the UAE community in Bangladesh. Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad attended the programme as the chief guest. Ministers, ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions, members of parliament, high government officials, business persons, media personalities, and personalities from academic and social institutions also attended the event. "The UAE is one of the most resilient countries globally in handling and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country ranked 11th on the nation brand index due to its successful handling of Covid-19 and pioneering achievements in science and education, such as the successful Emirates Mars Mission," Abdulla Ali said. Read: Bangladesh seeks wider cooperation with UAE "The UAE supports diplomacy over conflict, partnership over unilateralism, and dialogue over confrontation. The UAE believes that the world cannot tolerate more polarisation and confrontation and that the coming decades need more communication, integration and cooperation in the political, economic, technological, health and food fields." Imran said Bangladesh and UAE enjoy an age-old fraternity and time-tested friendship. "These historical ties had further been strengthened and deepened over time with religious and cultural commonalities and economic cooperation." Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also spoke at the programme.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provided 50 metric tonnes of food aid to Bangladesh as a part of its humanitarian initiatives during the holy month of Ramadan. Fine quality of rice, sugar, oil, milk, tea powder, salt, lentil, beans, flour, macaroni etc are among the food aid items. Chargé d'affaires at the UAE Embassy in Dhaka Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi officially handed over the aid to the Md. Anisur Rahman, Director, Department of Disaster Management of Bangladesh at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday. Also Read: Coronavirus: UAE extends amnesty for visa violators till Nov 17 Earlier, a special flight of Etihad Airways carrying the humanitarian food aid landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.        Chargé d'affaires Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi said the UAE shares historical ties with Bangladesh characterized by friendship and cooperation in various fields. Also Read: Bangladesh, UAE sign four MoUs on big projects "The aid has been provided to help address the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as these circumstances require solidarity and international cooperation, especially during the holy month of Ramadan”. In April 2020, the UAE sent a plane containing 7 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Bangladesh to support the country in containing the spread of Covid-19, he said. These supplies benefited more than 7,000 healthcare workers in their efforts to combat the pandemic, the envoy added.