The Bangladesh government has held a discussion with the Saudi government, seeking investments from the Kindom for public-private projects in Bangladesh, reported Daily Star.

M Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh’s state minister for foreign affairs, met with his Saudi counterpart Adel-Al-Zubeir in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and urged him to expedite the efforts to sign a MOUs regarding the same.

Alam said he received a positive reply and the Saudi state minister expressed interest in investing in a vibrant economy like Bangladesh. He hoped to sort out the MOU soon to enable investment in Bangladesh. 

In the meeting, both ministers also agreed to review the whole gamut of the bilateral relationship, and would soon hold a foreign office consultation. Other pending agreements would also be expedited soon.

The Bangladesh minister also proposed a joint venture for contract farming in suitable African countries where the agricultural expertise of Bangladesh could be used. The Saudi minister welcomed the proposal, he claimed.

In his meeting, Alam also expressed his gratitude for the Saudi King and Crown Prince for providing free COVID-19 vaccines to all Bangladeshi workers, irrespective of their legal status, living in the country.

Issues like access to health care facilities, and appointing a cultural consular at the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka were also raised by Alam. Furthermore, the Saudi minister hailed the economic progress achieved by Bangladesh during the last decade and also thanked the government for supporting the Kingdom in the Yemen war.