Bangladesh and Qatar to sign 6 deals, 5 MoUs during Qatar Emir's state visit: Foreign minister

Bangladesh and Qatar will sign 11 cooperation documents — six agreements and five MoUs — as Dhaka prepares to welcome Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday afternoon.

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud came up with the update while briefing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday (21 April).

Bangladesh Ambassador to Qatar, Md Nazrul Islam and MoFA Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin, among others, were present.

He said an agreement on prisoner exchange will be signed among the six deals.

"With this visit, the relations between Bangladesh and Qatar will reach a new height. This is the first-ever high level visit from the Middle East after the formation of new government this year," said the foreign minister.

Documents on trade and investment, avoidance of double taxation, and manpower export will also be signed.

Apart from areas of cooperation on the bilateral front, global issues, including Palestine-Israel, will also be discussed, where Bangladesh will highlight its position.

"Naturally, this discussion can come up. Killings in Gaza should be stopped. Everyone wants it. We want it," said the foreign minister.

During his participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye last month, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud emphasised the urgent need for a collective effort to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza, holding Israel accountable for committing crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

"Bangladesh is in favour of peace, not for war," he said.

The emir of Qatar will arrive on Monday on a two-day state visit by a special flight at the invitation of the president of Bangladesh.

The government, in a gazette notification, has already declared the emir as a very important person during his two-day visit to Bangladesh.

Some Dhaka streets are decorated with photos of Qatar's emir, the Bangladesh president, and the prime minister ahead of the visit.

Such a high-level 24-hour visit is taking place from the friendly country Qatar after nearly 19 years.

The then Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, visited Bangladesh in April 2005.

The foreign minister said, "The visit will play a significant role in further strengthening the brotherly relations between the two countries."

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will receive the emir amid a gun salute and a wider ceremony at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive the emir on Tuesday morning at her office.

They will have a one-to-one meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, followed by a bilateral meeting.

The two leaders will witness the signing of cooperation documents and join a joint press meeting.

After signing visitors' book there, the emir will head for Bangabhaban on Tuesday afternoon where the president will receive him.

President Shahabuddin will host an official lunch in honour of the emir at Darbar Hall, Bangabhaban.

FM Hasan Mahmud will also have a courtesy meeting with the emir.

A road and a park in the capital will be named after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The emir will inaugurate the park in the Kalshi area of Mirpur under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and a road running from Mirpur ECB Chattar to Kalshi Flyover at 3pm.

The emir will have a private meeting with selected business community members at his place of residence.

He is scheduled to depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by a special flight at 6pm on Tuesday.

The foreign minister will see him off at the airport.

Bangladesh and Qatar want to expand their existing ties with broader cooperation in the areas of manpower, energy, trade, and investment following the planned visit of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Bangladesh.

In March last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha.

She sought increased energy, particularly LNG, from Qatar to meet the energy demands.

The State of Qatar recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign State on March 4, 1974 following the 2nd OIC Summit held in February 1974.

Bangladesh opened its diplomatic mission in Doha on June 25, 1975. The State of Qatar reciprocated by opening its diplomatic mission in Dhaka in 1982.

Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Qatar are based on mutual respect, shared values, common religious ground, shared culture, and tradition.

People-to-people contacts are one of the dominant features of bilateral relations, according to the MoFA. More than 400,000 Bangladeshis work in Qatar and they are appreciated as dedicated and hard working.

Bangladesh and Qatar consider each other as brotherly countries and important development partners in materialising Bangladesh's Vision 2041 and Qatar's vision 2030.