Saudi envoy calls on FM Momen

Essa Yousef Essa Alduhailan, ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at his foreign ministry office Wednesday (26 October).

Foreign Minister and the Saudi Ambassador exchanged views on various bilateral issues of mutual interests.  

At the outset, the ambassador expressed satisfaction at the state of excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia which is growing rapidly encompassing various fields including political, economic, defense, manpower, business, trade and investment.

The Saudi envoy apprised the minister about the upcoming Joint Economic Commission to be held on 30-31 October in Riyadh, reads an official press release issued by the foreign ministry.

He also briefed the minister about the progress of the upcoming visit of the Deputy Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia to Dhaka in the second week of November.

In response, Abdul Momen expressed readiness and full cooperation from his office in making the visit fruitful.  

During the meeting, Foreign Minister and Saudi Envoy discussed and reviewed various issues of the existing and prospective investment initiatives including power and renewable energy sectors and new proposals under consideration from Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh.

The minister stated that his office was ready to push forward any issues/proposals from Saudi side in making headways.

While reflecting on the current energy/oil crisis in view of the Russia-Ukraine war, FM Momen stated that Bangladesh needed brotherly guesture from Saudi Arabia in meeting its energy need and urged the ambassador to look into the possible Saudi investment in the LNG sector. 

The Saudi envoy stated that he would take up the issue with the concerned Saudi stakeholders, the release adds.

Foreign Minister Momen appreciated the progress and development under the present leadership and welcomed the recent appointment of the Saudi Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Congratulating the new leadership for his dynamic role for the Muslim world, Momen stated that Bangladesh looks forward to welcoming the new Saudi PM.

Welcoming the proposal, the Saudi Ambassador underlined the need for the minister to undertake a visit to Saudi Arabia which is overdue.  

The Saudi ambassador expressed his gratitude to the foreign minister for his continuous support and guidance to take forward the bilateral engagements to new heights including Bangladesh's valuable support to Saudi Arabia in the multilateral fora.