Qatar minister due today
Manpower, air links deal to be signed
Staff Correspondent
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for increasing manpower export and air links is likely to be signed between Bangladesh and Qatar tomorrow when top officials of the two countries meet in the capital. A 17-member delegation led by Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, minister of state for foreign affairs of Qatar, arrives here today. The meeting is a follow-up of top-level talks between Bangladesh and Qatar recently, official sources pointed out. The two sides will also discuss expanding trade and commerce, Qatari investment in Bangladesh and technical cooperation in exploration of oil and gas. According to the draft of (MoU), Bangladesh will allow additional three flights of Qatar Airlines a week, and Qatar will hire a large number of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers from Bangladesh. Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, who visited Qatar this month, had earlier told journalists that Qatar authorities indicated hiring over 50,000 workers from Bangladesh. Dhaka hopes that fresh employment in Qatar might go up several times following the signing of the MoU as it requires a huge number of workers for implementing its 10-year development programme. The oil rich Qatar is implementing development programmes involving around $10 billion a year. It is also carrying out huge infrastructure development for holding the next Asian Games. Over 50,000 Bangladeshis now work in Qatar and send home over $120 million in remittance annually. The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani visited Bangladesh in April this year and indicated hiring a large number of workers if Bangladesh permits increased frequency of Qatar Airlines flight between Dhaka and Doha. Bangladesh was not ready at that time to accept the offer considering the business loss of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on the route. Both Biman and Qatar Airlines operate two flights a week. But Dhaka later agreed to allow more Qatar Airlines flight on the route, expecting a large-scale fresh employment of Bangladeshi workers there. Qatar was informed about the latest development during Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's visit to Doha in the first week of this month. The delegation from Qatar is now coming to Dhaka to execute the decision. The foreign ministry has already prepared a draft of the MoU and will place it at the meeting between the two sides, sources mentioned.
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