President, PM to visit UAE this month
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates end of this month to attend separate events.
Foreign Ministry sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a three-day bilateral visit to UAE on October 25-27 at the invitation of UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
President Abdul Hamid will be in Dubai from October 28 to attend the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) organised by the WIEF Foundation and Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Officials said Dhaka is expecting the UAE to withdraw stringent restrictions on entry of Bangladeshis to the country and to resume recruiting workers by issuing work visas alongside visas for businessmen and tourists during the prime minister's visit.
They said hectic negotiations are ongoing through diplomatic channels as the Gulf nation has now nearly stopped issuing Bangladeshis with any kind of entry permits since August 2012 for Dhaka's failure to address its security concerns over identification and use of fake documents and expired passports and visas.
The Prime Minister is expected to lead a high-power official and business delegation numbering around 100-members.
UAE is the second largest manpower destination for Bangladesh after the Saudi Arabia. It now hosts over 7 lakh Bangladeshis. Although the majority of them are unskilled, the government will push for professionals as doctors, nurses, engineers, bankers, pharmacists, teachers and accountants to join the workforce in the UAE.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry officials said the President is expected to lead a skeleton entourage to the WIFE, a platform for institutional investors to work together to promote greater capital utilisation across different markets.
The WIEF in Dubai is expected to serve as a major platform for collaboration across different markets amid dramatic changes taking place across the global business and financial sectors.
Themed 'Innovative Partnerships for Economic Growth' the Forum will run from October 28 to 30. It aims to forge greater collaboration between nations.
Discussions around economic and social matters continue to be key areas of focus at the annual forum which is the largest international gathering of heads of government, economic experts and stakeholders sharing experience and knowledge about Islamic economy.
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