DHAKA, June 15, 2020 (BSS) – The Saudi Arabian government has agreed with Dhaka’s decision to bring back Bangladeshi expatriate workers here in phases so that they can be put under quarantine upon return, if required.
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud agreed with the decision during a conversation with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen over the telephone on Sunday, a foreign ministry press release said here today.
The two foreign ministers discussed over how would Bangladeshi expatriates, those opted to go back home, return here and decided that the stranded Omrah pilgrims, students and female workers will be given priority in this regard.
The Bangladesh foreign minister urged the Saudi government to engage Bangladeshi agriculture labourers in boosting agri production and fish cultivation projects in Saudi Arabia during the post COVID-19 period.
Momen said the Saudi companies could play roles in ensuring food safety of other countries by boosting agricultural production engaging skilled Bangladeshi workers considering that Bangladesh is one of the top grains producing country around the globe.
He also urged the Saudi government to shift the exciting expatriate Bangladeshi workers, those are now working in different fields there, to the Saudi agriculture sector.
Momen also observed that skilled Bangladeshi IT professionals can contribute to the Saudi Arabian development.
The Saudi foreign minister expressed interest in engaging Bangladeshi skilled workers in the fields of agriculture and IT.
The Bangladesh foreign minister urged his counterpart to encourage Saudi enterprises to import halal meat, fresh vegetable and PPE from Bangladesh.
He also urged Saudi Arabia to call a foreign ministerial level virtual meeting of OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) to discuss over forming a ‘COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund’ to help the OIC member states recovering from their shattered economy wreaked by the pandemic.