Bangladesh and KSA are going to sign two agreements including security cooperation and the Mecca Road Initiative during the visit of the Saudi deputy interior minister, Dr Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Daoud, to Bangladesh next month.
The Saudi deputy minister is scheduled to visit Dhaka on 11-12 November, Saudi Ambassador in Dhaka told the FE on Wednesday.
He noted that the visit would reflect the importance of the bilateral ties between the two countries.
The home ministry of Bangladesh will sign the agreement on security cooperation on behalf of the country.
This agreement will see enhanced cooperation between the two countries in capacity building, skill development and exchange of visits of security personnel between the two countries.
On the other hand, the Makkah Road Initiative was floated to facilitate the smooth travel of pilgrims by easing procedures.
The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Interior within the Doy of Al Rahman Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom Vision 2030.
Under the initiative, the Saudi teams complete the travel procedures for the beneficiary pilgrims in their respective countries.
The initiative starts with issuing the visa electronically and taking the vital characteristics, passing through the completion of passport procedures at the airport of the country of departure after verifying the health requirements, in addition to coding and sorting luggage according to transportation and housing arrangements in the Kingdom.
The pilgrims who benefit from the initiative upon their arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, are directly transported in buses to their places of residence in Makkah and Madinah, while the service authorities undertake the delivery of their luggage to their residences.
The process was experimentally introduced recently in seven countries including Bangladesh.
After the signing of the agreement it will be a permanent process, an official said
Meanwhile, welcoming the visit of the Saudi minister, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said in recent times Saudi Arabia has come up with many good investment proposals also.
He also informed that both countries are working to facilitate the visit of the Crown Prince of KSA Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud to Dhaka.
He may visit Bangladesh at the beginning of the next year on our invitation, he added.
The Saudi minister will meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the foreign minister, the expatriate minister and other dignitaries.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister mentioned that at the request of the foreign ministry the Saudi Ambassador has agreed to postpone the realising of new biometric fees for the time being.
The foreign minister said that recently there was a misunderstanding between the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) and the Saudi Embassy over the visa application fees and procedure.
“I was told that a worker will have to pay 40 dollars as a biometric fee but the Ambassador told me it is four dollars only and these fees will be provided by the employer” Dr Momen said.
He said that as he requested to postpone the decision until a meeting of all the stakeholders, the Saudi Ambassador expressed his satisfaction and agreed to do so.
Terming the Saudi envoy ‘a dynamic person’ the foreign minister said, after the arrival of this Ambassador, the number of visa issuance has risen and presently, over 4.5 thousand visas are being issued by the Saudi Embassy every day.
Saudi Arabia is the top manpower destination for Bangladesh as it accounts for more than 32 per cent of Bangladesh's labour exports.
Manpower export is the country's second-largest forex earning source after the readymade garment sector and more than 20 per cent of Bangladesh's remittances come from the gulf country.