PM Hasina, Saudi King Salman vow to work together at meeting in Jeddah

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have pledged to work together for world peace, development and upholding the interests of Muslims.

Their common stand emerged during a bilateral meeting at the Saudi monarch’s Al Salam Palace in Jeddah on Sunday afternoon.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque and the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the media on the nearly hour-long meeting.

“The discussion was very cordial. Our prime minister and the Saudi king have promised to work together for world peace, development and the Islamic Ummah,” Haque said.

“The prime minister and the king also promised to work over the current global instability and insecurity,” he said.

The foreign secretary said the Saudi king told Hasina that he considered Bangladesh as “one of the top Muslim countries and very important in the Muslim world”.

“The king repeatedly spoke about the immense possibilities of trade and commerce between the two countries and mentioned the relations between the people of the two countries twice.”

Saudi King Salman thinks Bangladesh has a “big role to play in establishing global peace and stability and making progress”, according to Haque.

“The discussion has made it clear that powerful bonds exist [between the two countries] which we did not earlier see in such a perspective,” he added. 

He termed as a “landmark” Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

“I think we have achieved more success than our preparations aimed at. The visit has not only opened a new chapter, but has also taken relations to a new high,” Haque said.

The Bangladesh premier told the Saudi monarch that her country was “pledge-bound to work with Saudi Arabia for global peace, stability and development”, the foreign secretary said.

Hasina also noted that Bangladesh had “raised its voice” against militancy and terrorism by joining the Saudi Arabia-led alliance of Muslim countries, Haque said.

He said the king hailed Hasina’s leadership in continuing Bangladesh’s development.

“We have seen a global recognition of the honourable prime minister’s leadership once again through this visit. I think this has raised relations with Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Ummah as well to new heights,” Haque said.

The prime minister also discussed the issue of manpower export from Bangladesh with Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf when the latter paid a courtesy call on her, the foreign secretary said.

“He said the Saudi authorities would consider the issue with importance,” Haque said.

Earlier, Ihsanul Karim, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, said Sheikh Hasina had called for Saudi investment in Bangladesh at her meeting with leaders of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).

He said the Bangladesh leader told the Saudi businessmen that Bangladesh was transforming into an industry-based country and urged them to invest in such emerging sectors as garments, leather, jute, ceramic, petro-chemical, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, agroprocessing, plastic, light engineering and electronics, telecommunications, power, energy, and marine resource.

JCCI Vice-Chairman Mazen bin Mohammed Battarjee​ said JCCI would send a delegation to Bangladesh to explore the possibilities of investment.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, industrial entrepreneur Salman F Rahman and FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad, among others, were present at the meeting with the Saudi businessmen.