BD, KSA ties poised for further growth
Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in their bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to taking the partnership to a new level.
The understanding came during a meeting between State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Thursday on the sidelines of the 23rd OIC Extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Jeddah.
During the meeting, the state minister handed over a letter from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman addressed to Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Humaiun Kobir said several high-level visits had taken place between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia since the formation of the BNP-led government, creating fresh opportunities to expand comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. He also referred to prospective high-level visits between the two sides in the near future, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
The Saudi foreign minister said Bangladesh is among Saudi Arabia’s priority countries and stressed the importance of further strengthening economic cooperation as well as defence cooperation and regional issues.
Prince Faisal noted growing interest among Saudi companies in Bangladesh and expressed Saudi Arabia’s interest in expanding investment and business engagement with Dhaka.
He also commended the valuable contribution of Bangladeshi expatriates to Saudi Arabia’s development.
The state minister invited the Saudi foreign minister to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.
Saudi Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed Abdulkarim El-Khereiji, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the OIC and senior officials from both sides were present at the meeting.
The meeting comes amid renewed efforts by Dhaka and Riyadh to deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, investment and other areas of mutual interest.
