Stability, peace for all
Dhaka wants peace and stability all over the world and this is something Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will emphasise during her three-day visit to the UAE where she reached last night.
She will attend “Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week”, which is aimed to accelerate the world’s sustainable development, and “Zayed Sustainable Awards Ceremony” at the UAE government’s invitation.
She will also address global leaders and brief the Bangladesh envoys posted in the Middle Eastern countries.
Bangladesh maintains its core diplomatic motto: Friendship to all and malice towards none, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said at a press briefing at his office yesterday. It was organised to brief the media on the visit.
The visit comes at a time when tensions have flared up in the Middle East following the killing of a top Iranian military leader, Qassem Soleimani, in an US drone strike and Iran’s retaliation by firing missiles on US airbases in Iraq last week.
Security analysts say although there are hardly any possibilities of an all-out armed conflict for now, but risks of a long cycle of regional escalation, including substantial Iranian attacks on Gulf energy targets and direct naval clashes between the US and Iran, are real.
The Middle Eastern countries, especially Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon are some of the major destinations of Bangladesh’s overseas labour market. More than six million Bangladeshis work and send home more than 60 percent of the $18 billion migrant remittances annually.
Bangladesh also depends heavily on these countries for oil imports. Besides, it maintains good relations with both the US and Iran. Policymakers say any conflict in the region will have direct impacts on Bangladesh’s economy.
“The prime minister will issue directives to the Bangladesh envoys on Dhaka’s role amid the tensed situation prevailing in the Middle East,” Momen said at the briefing.
He also said Hasina would address the Bangladesh envoys in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arab and the UAE.
During meetings with the UAE authorities, the PM will discuss energy cooperation, investments, welfare of Bangladeshi migrants and job opportunities, he said
Momen also said the prime minister would give directives to the Bangladeshi envoys on how they could attract more investment in Bangladesh from the Middle East.
She will also discuss the plans of the Bangladesh missions in West Asia on celebrating the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Asked why the UAE was not opening the labour market, which has been restricted for general category workers of Bangladesh since 2012, the foreign minister said the UAE has agreed in principle to open the market but gave some conditions.
“Those who go there should have training. They [the Middle Eastern countries] take actions if anyone violates law,” he said without elaborating the conditions, but added that Bangladesh expatriates’ welfare ministry was working on those issues.
He said there were some large investment proposals worth several billion dollars on refinery, energy and economic zone.
“The work is going on. It will be sped up with the prime minister’s visit,” Momen said.
Hasina is expected to meet UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan and chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi.
At the “Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week”, the PM will highlight Dhaka’s position in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs) and apprise the world leaders of the initiatives taken by Bangladesh in achieving the goals.
She will also give a detailed overview about Bangladesh’s initiatives in the field of energy, health care, climate change, water and biotechnology to achieve “Vision 2041” to turn Bangladesh into a developed country.
Bangladesh and UAE are likely to sign two agreements – “Addendum to the MoU inked between Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Bangladesh’, and ‘Protocol of Amendment to the Agreement on allotment of land plot in Baridhara Diplomatic Enclave’, Dhaka for the construction of embassy premises, Momen added.
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