CA's Dubai tour boosted Bangladesh-UAE ties: Shafiqul
One kind of distance was created between Bangladesh and the UAE during the reign of the Awami League government and that was why issuing UAE visas for Bangladeshis had been suspended for a long time, says the CA's press secretary
Chief Adviser (CA) Prof Muhammad Yunus's tour to Dubai helped Bangladesh strengthen its relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said.
"Our big achievement of the chief adviser's visit is that our relations with them (UAE) have become closer," he told a press conference in Dubai yesterday (13 February), according to a message received in Dhaka last night.
Replying to a question, Shafiqul said one kind of distance was created between Bangladesh and the UAE during the reign of the Awami League government and that was why issuing UAE visas for Bangladeshis had been suspended for a long time.
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So, he said, negative impacts were put on Bangladeshi expatriates living in the UAE.
Besides, the press secretary said, the UAE is a big job destination for Bangladeshis but the access of Bangladeshi migrant workers to the UAE job market was declining gradually due to the long distance between the two countries.
CA's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder was present at the press conference.
During his visit to the UAE, the CA met several UAE ministers on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit (WGS).
Issues of mutual interest, including the visa restrictions on Bangladeshi nationals, the expansion of trade and commerce, UAE businesses' plans to invest in Chattogram Port, and strengthening sports and education ties, were also discussed during the meetings.
During the talks, the CA urged the UAE authorities to lift the visa restrictions on Bangladeshi citizens and recruit more workers from the country.
Yunus joined a community engagement programme with Bangladeshi expatriates in Dubai on the sidelines of the WGS yesterday.
He spoke at an interactive plenary session of the WGS at its venue in Dubai. The session was moderated by Becky Anderson of CNN.
Earlier, on that day, UAE Minister for Health Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Al Owais called on the CA on the sidelines of the WGS.
Besides, UAE Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi held a meeting with Yunus.
Yunus concluded his visit to the UAE today (14 February) after attending the WGS in Dubai.
The UAE sports minister, Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, saw him off at the Dubai airport as the CA took an Emirates flight back home. He returned home this evening.
Yunus reached Dubai on Wednesday night to take part in the WGS. Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain; Lutfey Siddiqi, the Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser; and Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and the chief SDG coordinator; accompanied the CA during the trip.
