Photo: Collected

DHAKA, Feb 5, 2025 (BSS) – Saudi Arabia is eager to strengthen its relations with Bangladesh in trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, alongside its ongoing humanitarian cooperation, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yousef Essa Alduhailan said today.

The envoy made the remarks while announcing the arrival of 100 tones of dates as a gift from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques under the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.

At a ceremony held at the Saudi Embassy this afternoon, the Ambassador formally handed over the dates to officials from the Disaster Management and Relief as well as the Foreign Ministries.

The dates will be distributed among the poorest, vulnerable communities and flood-affected people across the country, the envoy said.

Officials from the ministries said 70 tonnes of dates have already been received and are being preserved for distribution, which is expected to take place before the Holy Month of Ramadan.
The Saudi Ambassador also expressed optimism about resolving the long-standing passport issues of 69,000 individuals who traveled to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports following Bangladesh’s independence.

“We hope this issue will be resolved soon,” he said, referring to ongoing positive discussions between Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The envoy assured that these individuals would not be sent back to Bangladesh, as efforts are underway to regularize their legal status.

Highlighting the Kingdom’s commitment to facilitating employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers, the envoy noted that the Saudi Embassy has issued over 2.2 million work visas in the past three years.