Bangladesh and Qatar have signed five agreements and five Memoranda of Understanding to expand cooperation on a range of issues including investment, labour, and port management.
They were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and visiting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Hasina had greeted the Middle Eastern monarch at the Tiger Gate in Dhaka’s Tejgaon with flowers around 10:15am.
The prime minister and Emir Al Thani then held a private meeting at the PMO’s Shimul Hall.
The two then shifted to Globe Hall for a photo session before sitting for bilateral talks with representatives from both countries at Chameli Hall.
Following the talks, the agreements and MoUs were signed between the two countries in the presence of the emir and the prime minister at Korbi Hall.
During the event, it was announced that the park to be built at a field in Mirpur’s Kalshi and the road leading from the Mirpur ECB intersection to the Kalshi Flyover will be named after the emir.
Emir Al Thani arrived in Dhaka on Monday for a two-day trip. He was given a red carpet welcome by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Before his arrival, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud had described the visit as an ‘investment opportunity’ for Bangladesh.
“Due to its geopolitical location and diplomatic mediation, Qatar is known as an influential country in the Middle East. It is also one of the largest labour markets for Bangladeshis and about 400,000 Bangladeshis work there,” he said.
“In addition, this visit can be considered a potential source of investment. It is also an important source of energy imports for Bangladesh.”
He also suggested that Bangladesh would recommend the formation of an economic zone for Qatar in the country.
Emir Al Thani is the first high-level official from a Middle Eastern country to visit Bangladesh since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League came to power for a fourth consecutive term after the general election on Jan 7, 2024.
It is also the first time a Qatari emir has visited Bangladesh in nearly two decades. Former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the father of the current emir, had come to Dhaka in 2005.
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