Qatar’s emir departs Dhaka en route to Nepal

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has departed Dhaka, wrapping up his state visit to Bangladesh.

The emir was seen off at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 3pm on Tuesday by Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, accompanied by other senior officials in the Hasina administration.

According to the Qatari emir’s office, Tamim is headed to Nepal’s Kathmandu for another state visit.

On microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter, the emir said that he was pleased to visit Bangladesh and discuss ways to consolidate growing bilateral relations while touching on aspects of cooperation and opportunities to enhance the bilateral partnership further in various fields.

The monarch arrived in Dhaka around 5pm on Monday and was given a red carpet welcome by President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

The emir met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday for talks.

The two first held a private meeting before sitting for bilateral talks with representatives from both countries.

Following the talks, five agreements and five Memoranda of Understanding were signed between the two countries in the presence of the emir and the prime minister.

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.

Afterwards, the Qatari head of state went to the Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president, for lunch. At the event, President Shahabuddin urged Qatar to invest in a Special Economic Zone in Bangladesh.

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.