Dhaka-Kuwait stronger relationship agreed upon

Bangladesh and Kuwait have agreed to further strengthening relations between the two brotherly countries and underlined the importance of developing investment in mutually beneficial project areas including power, energy and infrastructure sectors. The agreement came in the first ever meeting of the Joint Commission between Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and her Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister.
The meeting was held in the Kuwaiti Foreign Office on Tuesday to intensify cooperation between Kuwait and Bangladesh in political, economic and cultural areas in an atmosphere of friendship, mutual understanding and constructive dialogue, said a Foreign Ministry release here on Wednesday.
The two sides discussed further collaboration in the area of human resource development and labour mobility including establishing a training centre for labour in Bangladesh.
Kuwaiti side also welcomed the idea to increase the number of trained and qualified Bangladeshi workforce to work in various sectors and activities.
The Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the recent developments in the economic and social sectors of Bangladesh and expressed his satisfaction.
He also appreciated the role of Bangladesh in the international arena and expressed the need for closer cooperation between the two countries in the United Nations and OIC as well as in other regional and international organizations such as ACD.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister mentioned that Kuwait has been a dependable development partner for Bangladesh since her recognition and that Kuwait always stood by the side of the people of Bangladesh during the hour of necessity including natural disasters.
Kuwait has also been providing assistance since 1974/75 for different development projects in Bangladesh through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).
Dipu Moni thanked the Government of Kuwait for hosting the ACD Secretariat and hoped that after establishing the new Secretariat, ACD will play a critical role in improving relations among all Asian countries, particularly in the area of trade and investment.
She also expressed her appreciation to the Government of Kuwait for hosting a large number of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait and highlighted modern technology-based measures taken by the Government of Bangladesh recently to train and streamline the migration of Bangladeshi manpower.
Bangladesh side invited Kuwaiti side to import more RMG, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, etc. from Bangladesh.
Both leaders agreed to utilise the signed trade agreement between the two countries to boost trade relations.
In the areas of education, health and agriculture, the two sides discussed the importance of increasing interaction and exchange of sharing best practices in these areas for mutual benefits.
Both leaders agreed to sign MOUs/Agreements for cooperation in these areas between the two countries in near future.
Both the Ministers agreed to hold first meeting of technical and economic cooperation later this year and the second meeting of Joint Commission in Dhaka in the second half of 2014.
At the end of the meeting, a joint communiqué was signed by the Ministers.
On Tuesday evening, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni left for Saudi Arabia where she is expected to meet Saudi dignitaries to express appreciation for allowing Bangladeshi workers to change their iqamas.
Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah praised the contribution of Bangladesh towards Kuwait during the invasion in 1990.
He also praised the sincere and hardworking Bangladesh expatriates who are working in Kuwait.
The appreciation came when Foreign Minister Dipu Moni had an audience with the Amir of Kuwait on Tuesday morning.
Earlier, in the day, Dipu Moni also made a courtesy call on Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah.
Both the Amir and the Prime Minister of Kuwait termed the relations between the two countries as excellent since 1973.
The Foreign Minister conveyed the greetings and regards of the President and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to their respective counterparts.
She handed over an invitation letter from President of Bangladesh M Abdul Hamid to the Kuwaiti Amir to pay a visit to Bangladesh.
The Amir gladly accepted the invitation and promised to visit Bangladesh at the earliest convenience. (Source: UNB)

Leave a Reply