Saudi crown prince to visit Bangladesh later this year
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Saudi Arabia is hoping to further strengthen its relation-ship with Bangladesh as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Dhaka in the latter half of this year.
"The Saudi crown prince has accepted the invitation extended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh to visit the country this year. The date is yet to be fixed, however," Saudi Ambassador Essa Yousef Essa Alduhailan said yesterday.
"During the visit, main issues [for discussion] will be the common interest issues and strengthening bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh," he said while interacting with reporters at the Saudi embassy in Dhaka after launching the distribution of food baskets.
He said Saudi Arabia is planning to invest $1.2 billion in Bangladesh and Saudi company Red Sea Gateway Terminal will start operating the Patenga Bay Terminal in Chattogram next month.
Last year, the Saudi company signed a 22-year concession deal worth $170 million with the Chattogram Port Authority to develop a container terminal at Bangladesh's primary port.
The Red Sea Gateway Terminal will develop and operate the terminal and will be equipped with new technologies to handle the fast-growing export market.
About the distribution of food baskets, Essa Yousef said a total of 15,500 baskets of food items, each containing 24kg of food, will be distributed among the vulnerable people in 32 places across the country. Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar will be among the recipients.
Under the instructions of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the food items are being provided to the vulnerable people as a symbol of solidarity.
The envoy said about 2.8 million Bangladeshis working in Saudi Arabia are also making significant contributions to Saudi and Bangladesh economies.
"These are clear signs of our relations developing day by day," he said.
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