Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Advisor and Special Envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, receives at his palace in Riyadh on Saturday Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni. – SPA
RIYADH — Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Adviser and Special Envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has assured Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni that he will convey her request for amnesty extension to the King, according to a press statement issued by the Bangladesh Embassy here on Saturday. Moni made a request to this effect during her courtesy call on Prince Muqrin on Saturday. The Bangladesh foreign minister appreciated the recent announcement of amnesty and regularization of employment status for undocumented workers. Bangladesh Embassy has collected about 90,000 passports of its nationals which were lying with Saudi immigration authorities and arranged distribution of these to its holders. The foreign minister visited the job fair organized by the embassy in Riyadh where several Saudi companies offered jobs to Bangladesh workers. One Saudi employer came to hire 500 workers from Bangladesh. Prince Muqrin and Dr. Moni agreed to work closely at UN, OIC and other international organizations. They also agreed to enhance bilateral relations in the areas of investment cooperation, trade, education and agriculture. Enhancing bilateral trade was also discussed, particularly the export of quality pharmaceutical products, readymade garments and ceramics.
The foreign minister sought the support of Saudi Arabia for a preferential trading agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which would allow export of Bangladesh products to all Gulf countries on concessional tariff. Agreeing to support this proposal the Second Deputy Prime Minister underlined the need for regular and increased interaction between businessmen of both countries to enhance trade and investment. He also underscored achieving trade balance between the two countries which is currently in favor of the Kingdom. The foreign minister mentioned about the recent visit of a Saudi manpower delegation which learned about migration process in Bangladesh under which the government has introduced a three-tier screening process, training of the workforce, issuance of MRP and reduction of migration cost. – SG
