New agreements to boost bilateral ties with Qatar

Bangladesh and Qatar are going to sign four to five agreements soon to further boost bilateral relationship between the two countries, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said yesterday.

The countries are working on a "cooperation model" under which Qatar can provide its resources and funds, the state minister told reporters after the first Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between the two countries, held in the capital.

"Qatar has a very small population. They cannot manage or look after everything by themselves regarding overseas business," he said.

If Bangladesh government or a large business group come up with projects in future, then Qatar can invest, he added.

At the FOC, the countries elaborately discussed establishing a mechanism on how Qatar's fund can be invested in profitable trades in Bangladesh, said Shahriar, who led the Bangladesh delegation.

"The main issue is to increase trade cooperation," he added.

Qatar's per capita income is among the world's highest while the present Bangladesh government has created an investment-friendly environment in the country, he said.

Qatar Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi headed his country's delegation at the meeting, which took place for more than two hours at the state guest house Meghna.

Bangladesh arranged a successful trade fair "Made in Bangladesh" in Doha at the beginning of January. Beside Bangladeshi traders, many Qatari entrepreneurs attended the fair, said Shahriar.

He said they are expecting to sign the new agreements in the next three to four months.

One of the agreements will be for "repatriation of sentenced persons", he said.

If any expatriate Bangladeshi commits crime and subsequently gets sentenced in Qatar, then the agreement will help with bringing the convict back to Bangladesh to serve jail sentence here, he said.

Bangladesh has such agreement with other countries, he added.

Qatar is home to some 3.5 lakh Bangladeshis who are involved in various occupations, Shahriar said.

The two countries have "almost finalised" an agreement for visa-free entry of diplomats and other officials. There will be an agreement on "avoidance of double taxation", he also said.

The delegates further discussed on cooperation over elections of different international bodies, including that of the United Nations.

How the two countries can enhance high-level visits was also discussed, Shahriar said.

The state minister said the expatriates' welfare ministry will strongly work with its Qatar counterparts to widen job opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf country.