PM's visit to Doha: Bangladesh to look for energy coop from Qatar

Diplomatic Correspondent :
Bangladesh is looking for energy cooperation with Qatar as the matter will be discussed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Doha to attend the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) from March 5-9.
At the invitation of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is attending the Summit.
Sheikh Hasina will have separate bilateral talks with Qatar’s Amir and UN Secretary-General.
In reply to a query on the energy cooperation with Qatar, Director of Foreign Ministry Multilateral Economic Affairs Wing Farida Yasmeen said, “The energy issue will be discussed
at the bilateral meeting with Qatar’s Amir. The signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is not clear yet, but the matter is being discussed.”
The statement came up during the curtain raiser on the occasion of Prime Minister’s visit to Doha in the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
The Prime Minister will leave Dhaka for Doha on March 4 and return home on March 8, said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin.
The Prime Minister will be flanked by a high level delegation including Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni in her entourage, she said.
She also mentioned, as Bangladesh will graduate from LDC by 2026, this summit held once in a decade will be the last one for Bangladesh.
On March 5, the Prime Minister will speak as a special invited speaker at the Opening Plenary session of the Meeting.
The UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, and the current Chair of the LDC Group, Malawi’s President will also speak at the event.
In the afternoon, the Prime Minister will speak at a side event titled “Sustainable and Smooth Transition for the Graduating Cohort of 2021” organised by Bangladesh, Nepal, and Laos, the three Asian countries on the way to graduate from the list of least developed countries.
Bangladesh is going to graduate from LDC to developing country by 2026.
On the next day, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh will deliver a speech as the Chief Guest at the business summit titled “The Rise of Bengal Tiger: Potentials of Trade and Investment in Bangladesh” organised jointly by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority.
In the afternoon of the same day, as the Chief Guest, the Prime Minister will also attend the side event “Investment in Research and Development in LDCs for Smart and Innovative Societies” organised by the Government of Bangladesh.
Representatives from Egypt, Singapore, and Estonia’s ministerial levels, as well as high-level representatives from multiple international organisations such as WTO, UN Tech Bank for LDCs and OECD will be present at the event.
On the same day in the evening, the Prime Minister will participate in a Regional Envoys Conference featuring Bangladesh’s envoys appointed in GCC countries, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.
On March 7, the Prime Minister will participate as a co-chair in a high-level roundtable discussion titled “Enhancing the Participation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in International Trade and Regional Integration.”
In the afternoon of the same day, the Prime Minister will attend the side event “Global Partnership for Smooth and Sustainable Graduation: Marching towards Smart Bangladesh,” organised by Bangladesh, as the chief guest.
Representatives from various international organisations, including Denmark’s Minister, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and representatives from organisations such as UNIDO, UNDP, and OECD will attend the side event.
On the same day, in the evening, the Prime Minister will attend a community event organised by Bangladeshi expatriates in Qatar as the chief guest.
At the premises of the Summit, a Bangladeshi pavilion will be set up, showcasing the development pictures of the country.