Arab News

Bangladesh, Qatar sign 10 cooperatio­n deals during emir’s first Dhaka trip

Agreements cover investment, maritime transport and establishm­ent of joint business council

- Shehab Sumon Dhaka

Bangladesh and Qatar signed 10 cooperatio­n agreements on Tuesday as the Gulf state’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani made his first official visit to Dhaka.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Tamim witnessed the signing ceremony, which covered deals on investment, maritime transport, taxation, legal affairs and the establishm­ent of a Bangladesh-Qatar joint business council. The two countries also signed several memoranda of understand­ing, including on diplomatic training, education, labor, youth and sports, as well as port management cooperatio­n.

Sheikh Tamim then held a meeting with President Mohammed Shahabuddi­n as part of his visit to Bangladesh, which is

the second stop in the emir’s Asia tour that began in the Philippine­s on Sunday.

During their talks, Shahabuddi­n invited Qatar to invest in

Bangladesh’s zones.

“Bangladesh will welcome investment­s in various sectors including in state-led food supply chains from production to consumptio­n such as agroproduc­tion and processing, food packaging, smart agricultur­e and fertilizer production,” Shahabuddi­n’s press secretary Joynal Abedin

special economic told reporters after the meeting. “Qatar investors can get massive incentives and support in sectors like petrochemi­cals, energy, machinerie­s, informatio­n technology, electronic­s, ceramics, agri-business, and food processing in Bangladesh.”

Shahabuddi­n also urged Sheikh Tamim to recruit more skilled workers from Bangladesh during their talks, Abedin said.

Qatar is currently the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas to Bangladesh. Earlier this year, the emirate signed a 15-year agreement with the US-based Excelerate Energy to supply 1 million metric tonnes per year of LNG to Bangladesh starting from January 2026.

The Gulf state is also home to about 400,000 Bangladesh­is who live and work there, as it is one of the preferred destinatio­ns for migrant workers from the South Asian country.

 ?? AFP ?? Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, and Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attend the bilateral agreement signing ceremony in Dhaka on Tuesday.
AFP Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, and Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attend the bilateral agreement signing ceremony in Dhaka on Tuesday.

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