KSA to resume issuing Umrah visas to Bangladeshis after next Hajj

Saudi Arabia will resume issuing Umrah visas to Bangladeshi pilgrims after the upcoming Hajj season.

Nizar bin Obaid Madani, state minister for foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, assured his Bangladeshi counterpart Shahriar Alam of it during a meeting with him in Jeddah on Monday.

The Saudi state minister made the commitment in response to a request from Shahriar, said a foreign ministry press release.

Madani said the KSA had already started hiring Bangladeshi female domestic workers. The recruitment of workers for all the other sectors would begin gradually, he added.

Shahriar thanked the Saudi government for reopening the transfer of Iqma (sponsorship of employer) for the Bangladeshi expatriates in February last year.

He also requested the Saudi government to recruit more professionals, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers from Bangladesh for various infrastructure and development projects in the  KSA.

He said the two countries should work more closely to explore the full potential of bilateral engagements in trade and commerce.

In this regard, he said Bangladesh could provide Saudi Arabia with high quality readymade garments, medicine, jute and leather goods, plastic and ceramic items at competitive prices.

Shahriar during the meeting apprised the Saudi leader of the Bangladesh government's success in achieving socio-economic development, particularly in poverty alleviation, women empowerment, social safety network, health, education and e-governance.

“The government of Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to its relationship with Bangladesh and is ready to sign a MoU on Foreign Office Consultations proposed by Bangladesh to further strengthen relationships between the two countries,” said Madani.