The high-level dialogue began at Dhaka’s Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel on Wednesday with a Saudi delegation led by the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, reports bdnews24.com.
His counterpart AK Abdul Momen is leading the Bangladeshi delegation.
The two foreign ministers met one-on-one at the same location before the joint consultation.
“We are committed to a stable oil market,” Prince Faisal said in response to a question from the media regarding the smooth supply of oil to Bangladesh following the meeting.
“There is no concern regarding the supply of oil.”
Following the talks, Prince Faisal will launch the construction of an Arabic Language Institute in Keraniganj via videoconferencing.
He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the afternoon before leaving for the Gulf state.
Officials said Saudi investment in Bangladesh, military cooperation, passport for Rohingya refugees in Saudi Arabia and other bilateral issues will be discussed in the meetings.
Bangladesh had signed an MoU on military cooperation with the kingdom in 2019. Officials said the two sides will discuss the enhancement of that cooperation.
Bangladesh will also discuss Saudi Arabia’s labour market, the largest for Bangladeshi workers.
“Besides these, we want investment from them,” said Mashfi Binte Shams, secretary to foreign affairs (East).
“Trade, investment, manpower export and security will be discussed. We also expect one agreement and one MoU to be signed.”
Saudi Arabia has been pushing Bangladesh to issue passports for Rohingya refugees, who travelled to the Gulf kingdom from Bangladesh after fleeing decades of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Since the 1980s, 68,000 such Rohingya refugees have taken shelter in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Issa bin Youssef Al-Duhailan.
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have also formed a high-level committee on the issue.
Foreign Minister Momen had dismissed reports in 2020 that Riyadh was pressuring Dhaka to issue passports for the Rohingya refugees.
He, however, had said people who went to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports will be able to renew their papers.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen speaks with his visiting Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at Dhaka’s Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel on Wednesday, Mar 16, 2022. Photo: Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs
