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Published : 20 Apr 2026, 05:06 PM
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has instructed officials to quickly issue Bangladeshi passports to Myanmar nationals living in Saudi Arabia if they have Bangladeshi documents or meet the required conditions.
He gave the directive during a courtesy meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Zafer H Bin Abiyah at the Secretariat on Monday.
The minister also ordered a fresh verification of the identities of Myanmar nationals in Saudi Arabia based on a complete list to be provided by the Saudi authorities.
“Those Myanmar nationals who have Bangladeshi documents or who have met the required conditions must be issued passports quickly,” said Salahuddin.
During the meeting, the ambassador raised the issue of issuing Bangladeshi passports to 69,000 Rohingya currently residing in Saudi Arabia and urged that the process be accelerated.
In response, the minister said said 22,000 Rohingya had already been issued Bangladeshi passports on the basis of necessary documents or evidence.
"A special team has been sent from Bangladesh to expedite this process.”
He also warned that no corruption or irregularity in issuing these passports would be tolerated.
At the beginning of the meeting, the home minister welcomed the ambassador, who in turn congratulated him on assuming his responsibilities.
They discussed law and order and security issues between the two countries, as well as increasing Saudi investment in Bangladesh’s tourism and energy sectors, along with other matters of mutual interest.
Describing Saudi Arabia as one of Bangladesh’s closest partners and a brotherly nation, Salahuddin said: “There are many areas of cooperation between the two countries. In addition to manpower export, there is significant potential for Saudi investment in Bangladesh’s energy and tourism sectors.”
He urged the concerned parties to explore new areas of cooperation, including investment in these sectors.
During the meeting, the ambassador invited a high-level delegation led by the home minister to visit Saudi Arabia to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Thanking the ambassador for the invitation, Salahuddin expressed his intention to visit Saudi Arabia in early July.
