UAE issues joint statement with Bangladesh on Hasina visit

Pointing to warm relations, the UAE has issued a joint statement with Bangladesh on the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first official visit.

The statement highlighted the three-day visit when both sides signed a number of agreements including security co-operation and transfer of convicted prisoners that Dhaka hopes will open the ‘restricted’ UAE labour market.

The Gulf kingdom is the second largest manpower destination for Bangladeshis after Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali before the PM’s visit said they had proposed a joint statement and hoped that Abu Dhabi would respond ‘positively’.

Hasina visited the kingdom at the invitation of Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

She arrived in Dhaka at 12:15am on Tuesday.

During the visit, the two leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interests, according to the statement.

It said the discussions had been marked by “warmth, long-standing friendship and understanding between the two people and countries”.

They emphasised the need for further strengthening relations between the countries.

Both sides agreed to cooperate in various fields and expand the scope of the partnership in the fields of trade, business and investment in infrastructure.

Hasina and Sheikh Mohammed also agreed to promote cooperative projects in higher education, culture and tourism and cooperation on energy, including renewable energy, climate change and blue economy and security issues.

Both sides also agreed to further discuss mobilisation of finance and other UAE projects in Bangladesh.

The statement noted that they had also discussed the labour issues between the countries.

They concluded Agreement on Security Cooperation, Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TSP) and Agreement on Allotment of a Plot for the UAE Embassy in Dhaka.

With regards to peace and security, the two sides discussed the situations in the Middle East and underscored the need for maintaining peace and stability for sustainable development of the region.

Hasina and Sheikh Mohammed also expressed deep concern about the growing phenomenon of terrorism and stressed the importance of combating it including ISIS, according to a statement by the foreign ministry in Dhaka.

The two sides acknowledged with deep reverence the contributions of Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and founding father of the UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan for laying the foundation of the excellent relations.

Hasina has invited Sheikh Mohammed to visit Bangladesh, which he accepted and said that the dates would be decided through mutual consultations.