The Saudi foreign minister has told Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina they will hire more Bangladesh nationals during talks on ways of improving bilateral relations.Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir made a whirlwind Dhaka visit on Tuesday, the first ever by a Saudi foreign minister during “the tenure of a democratic government in Bangladesh” as the foreign ministry put it.The visit is seen a significant one as the kingdom is the top destination of workers of the remittance-dependent Bangladesh.The foreign ministry said during the meeting with Hasina, Ahmed Al-Jubeir promised to recruit more Bangladeshi nationals.But both sides stressed on “proper training” before the workers are sent.The Saudi foreign minister termed Bangladeshis working in his country ‘hardworking’ and acknowledged their contribution to the development of the kingdom.The prime minister thanked the Saudi king for his support to Bangladesh nationals in Saudi Arabia, including the recent legalisation of many Bangladeshi workers there.She briefed Al-Jubeir on the investment-friendly policies and environment of Bangladesh and invited more Saudi funds.The Saudi foreign minister emphasised deepening engagements in the trade and investment sectors.
For, he said, it would add momentum to the excellent political relations, while fetching more dividends for the two peoples, the foreign ministry said.During the meeting, frequent high-level visits at political, official and private level were stressed to take the bilateral relations to a new height.Hasina and Al-Jubeir also agreed for more engagements and cooperation in many other areas including culture, education, ICT, agriculture and human resource development.The prime minister reiterated her government’s policy of ‘zero tolerance’ against terrorism and violent extremism, while the Saudi foreign minister “emphasised on the significance of joint collaboration”.The Saudi foreign minister conveyed to her the greetings of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.Both sides expressed satisfaction at the “excellent brotherly and friendly relations”.Earlier, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali received his counterpart at Shahjalal International Airport at about 6pm.The Saudi minister came from Jakarta where both the foreign ministers had met on the sidelines of an extra-ordinary OIC summit.On arrival, he said he came to discuss ways of improving the “strong and solid” ties with Bangladesh.“I am here to discuss ways to improve consultation, coordination and cooperation between the two brotherly counties,” he told the waiting journalists.From the airport, he went straight to the Ganabhaban.He was supposed to attend a dinner hosted by Mahmood Ali, which was later cancelled due to time constraints.Ali saw him off at the airport before he left at around 9.30pm.Hasina is planning to visit Saudi Arabia between Mar and May this year.
