Saudi Ambassador to Dhaka Dr Abdullah Jafar H. bin Abiyah met President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban on Monday, according to the president’s press secretary Md Sarwar Alam. The ambassador conveyed congratulations from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Alamgir assuming the presidency. The president called for Saudi cooperation with Bangladesh amid the global energy crisis.

Alamgir urged expanded trade and investment between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia in both public and private sectors. He also asked for Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims’ travel to be made easier and for their hardships to be reduced, particularly through improved bathroom and toilet facilities in Mina. The Saudi ambassador assured him that appropriate steps would be taken.

The president thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting more than 3.5 million Bangladeshi workers and requested priority recruitment of manpower from Bangladesh in the future. He invited the Saudi king and crown prince to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time. The ambassador pledged continued energy, assistance and investment support. The meeting was Alamgir’s first with a foreign diplomat after taking office as president.