Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Bangladesh, Dr Abdullah Jaffar H bin Abiya, paid a courtesy call on Thursday (16 July) on Mahdi Amin, the prime minister’s adviser for education and primary and mass education, at the Prime Minister’s Office.
At the meeting, the Saudi government expressed interest in working closely with Bangladesh’s new government in various fields, including politics and the economy. In particular, the two sides discussed in detail how Saudi Arabia could help develop Bangladesh’s education system.
After Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office, the Saudi government confirmed that it would provide 500 scholarships a year for Bangladeshi students. The ambassador said he had already informed Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the matter.
The meeting also discussed expanding opportunities to export skilled manpower from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia, making entry into the labour market easier, and removing existing procedural complications in this area.
The ambassador and the prime minister’s adviser also discussed Hajj and Umrah, ties between the peoples of the two countries, and creating new areas of bilateral cooperation.
About 3.8 million (38 lakh) expatriate Bangladeshis currently living in Saudi Arabia are making an important contribution to the kingdom’s economy and development, while the remittances they send play an important role in Bangladesh’s economic progress. Both governments stressed the need to further strengthen this mutual cooperation and partnership.
Also present on the Saudi side at the meeting were Vice-Ambassador Khalid Saeed M al-Hadal and Deputy Head of the Consular Section Muhammad Fahad Dhi al-Suhaimi.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report