Dhaka urges Spain to recruit manpower from Bangladesh
Spain will need seasonal workers for agriculture in summer season, the outgoing Spanish ambassador said
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen urged the Spanish government to recruit Bangladeshi workers to meet the European country's manpower demand.
He made the request when outgoing Spanish Ambassador Álvaro de Salas Giménez de Azcárate paid his farewell courtesy call on him at the foreign ministry on Sunday, reads a press release.
The Spanish envoy said although his country's tourism sector has been hit hard by Covid-19, leaving many people jobless, Spain will need seasonal workers for agriculture in the summer season.
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The foreign minister then requested the ambassador to recruit seasonal workers from Bangladesh as they already have expertise in the agriculture sector.
During the meeting, the foreign minister also applauded the Spanish government's efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
Terming Bangladesh an investment-friendly country, Momen called for more investments from Spain as well as sharing expertise, especially in the energy and tourism sectors, with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has exported 6.5 million personal protective equipment (PPE) to the USA, and supplied medicines, such as Remdesivir and Hydroxychloroquine, to some countries during Covid-19 pandemic, the minister mentioned.
Momen urged Spain to import PPE and other pharmaceutical products related to prevention or treatment of Covid-19 from Bangladesh.
He also appealed for imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar by the international community so that Myanmar abides by its commitment for safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya people.
The foreign minister thanked the Spanish government for its continued support for the Rohingya issue.
The outgoing Spanish ambassador expressed his gratitude for the all-out support extended during his tenure in Dhaka.
Momen wished him success in his future assignments.
Earlier in June, the foreign minister, while talking to Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya over phone, had requested Spain to take agricultural workers from Bangladesh.
