Amir's landmark visit to Bangladesh to strengthen mutual ties: Sheikh Hasina

The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wajed stressed that her country warmly welcomes the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, describing the visit as a landmark in the path of strengthening the bilateral relations and taking them to a new horizon.In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Sheikh Hasina said: "The government and people of Bangladesh are looking forward to welcoming His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Bangladesh. I hope that the visit of His Highness the Amir will represent a landmark in the path of strengthening the relations between the two brotherly countries and also will open-up new areas of cooperation between the two countries."She added that the visit of His Highness the Amir this year to Bangladesh would be very significant as both countries are celebrating the auspicious anniversary of 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations. "The 50th anniversary of establishing Bangladesh-Qatar ties is a milestone event in our bilateral relations." She pointed out that the two countries should work more closely to undertake mutually beneficial programs, actions, and initiatives on this occasion not only to exhibit the strength of our relations but also to advance this important partnership.She stated that during the visit of His Highness the Amir, the two countries will discuss a broad range of areas and sectors, including economic and technical cooperation, trade and investment, defense cooperation, energy cooperation, employment of Bangladeshi skilled workforce in Qatar, climate change, education, charitable engagements, immigration, tourism, culture and sports, ports, and human resource development.Sheikh Hasina said that some agreements and MoUs will be signed during the visit which would pave the way to take the relations between the two countries to a new horizon, in addition to exchanging views on the most important regional and international developments of common concern, with a focus on some issues such as the Palestinian cause.She praised the dynamic and visionary leadership of His Highness the Amir for providing a high standard of living for Qatari people, achieving one of the highest per capita incomes and launching Qatar National Vision-2030 to transform Qatar into an advanced society capable of sustaining its development, adding "Under the leadership of HH the Amir, Qatar has witnessed an exemplary success story in the sectors of development, diplomacy, sports, international and regional peace and stability."She appreciated Qatar's continued successes in hosting international events, including sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022, the most distinguished edition in history, and the Asian Football Cup 2023. She also pointed to Doha's hosting of the International Horticultural Exhibition (Expo 2023 Doha), considering them "another strong evidence of Qatars success story".In this regard, Sheikh Hasina expressed happiness at her countrys contribution, through manpower, to Qatars journey towards the World Cup 2022 and other sporting tournaments and international events.. and said: "Bangladeshi Workers made significant contributions to the construction of state-of-the-art stadiums and other infrastructure, in addition to the participation of a good number of Bangladeshi volunteers during tournaments particularly World Cup and Asian Cup," stressing: "We will continue our cooperation and contribution to sport events that Doha will host in the future."Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1974, Bangladesh and Qatar have been maintaining excellent bilateral relations, she said, adding the relations have witnessed visible progress in recent years through regular bilateral visits, an increase in manpower export, substantive engagements, a common position on regional and international issues, and close cooperation in the international arena to promote peace, stability, and development.She pointed to her visits to Doha during 2023 and her meeting with HH the Amir, saying: "The existing friendly relations have strengthened further after my two successive visits in March and May 2023, during which I met His Highness the Amir and discussed many important issues of common interest.She continued by saying: "Qatar and Bangladesh consider each other as friendly countries and important development partners in materializing Bangladeshs Vision 2041 and Qatars Vision 2030", noting that Bangladeshs opening up to the region through newer forms of connectivity and cooperation matrix is leading to newer economics.In this context, she stressed that the ultimate objective is surely to strengthen the bonds of fraternity and friendship between the two friendly countries and the peoples further, which would elevate the bilateral relations to greater heights, adding that the exchange of visits create the opportunity to take the relations to a new height.She touched on the areas of bilateral cooperation that witnessed growth over the past years, including cooperation in the fields of labor, energy, defense, trade, culture, education, and other fields, many of which were framed in memorandums of understanding and joint cooperation agreements.She stated: "The bilateral trade exceeded the two billion dollar mark during the last FY 2021-2022 and is on the rise. The relationship is fast moving towards an economic partnership," adding "I will say that we have achieved a lot bilaterally but the better part of cooperation is still to come."She pointed out that despite the diverse levels of economic development, there is yet room and opportunities in areas like trade and commerce, investment, education, agriculture, and climate change "where both countries can engage through so many new forms and modalities".Sheikh Hasina considered cooperation with Qatar in the field of energy another milestone in the process of strong bilateral relations between the two countries, adding: "Qatar remains our top priority for LNG imports. We expect that through a working environment based on good faith and effective communication, our cooperation and support will continue to grow, not only in the LNG sector but also in other areas."She continued: "As a relatively cleaner fuel source, LNG is a priority to meet the increasing energy demand. Importing LNG will help fulfill the national gas grid network established across the country."She added: "We hope to overcome the upcoming challenges in meeting our energy needs with the support of QatarEnergy, especially as the world faces an energy crisis in the volatile situation arising from the Russia-Ukraine war.She praised Qatar's commitment to international cooperation and active member of a number of international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the OIC, and other organizations.She said: "This keenness on enhancing international cooperation is visible and clear in Qatars national vision of 2030 which highlights the role of Qatar on the economic, political, and cultural levels especially within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League, and the OIC."Sheikh Hasina also praised Qatars respectable position in the region for its political, economic, and cultural openness, which contributes significantly to strengthening relations with various countries in the region and beyond.She stressed the common values and principles of the State of Qatar and Bangladesh in their international relations, saying: "Bangladesh and Qatar focus on the consolidation of peace and stability, as prescribed by their respective constitutions. It is based on the principles of encouraging the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means, supporting the right of people to self-determination, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, and cooperation with peace-loving nations."She added that the two countries remain deeply committed to the charter of the UN and the principles of the OIC in their common pursuit of peace, development, and justice in the world. "Both Bangladesh and Qatar share common values in many issues. Both Bangladesh and Qatar contribute significantly to UN Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding operations/activities and act as mediators to bridge differences among the conflicting groups to establish peace, security, and well-being of the people."She continued: "With these similarities, I would say that the State of Qatar has established itself as the world's main mediator, leaving a clear imprint on the map of negotiations and peace talks, and settling crises and disputes. Qatar has played decisive roles in strengthening international peace and security through successful mediations on many issues that had a significant impact on world peace, including its efforts in reaching a humanitarian pause between the Israeli entity and Hamas movement which resulted in the release of a number of hostages."In this context, Sheikh Hasina also expressed her high appreciation for the support of the State of Qatar to her country in the Rohingya refugee issue. She hoped that this support would continue for the early return of the refugees to their homeland.She noted that Bangladesh achieved robust economic growth between 6% and 7% over the past two decades which has been one of the highest in the world. She added Bangladesh is on the right track to graduate from the UNs Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in 2026 to become a model of development for other countries.She stated that Bangladeshs export volume is around USD 55 billion and received an FDI of USD 2.8 billion in 2022, and it is among the worlds top ten remittance-earning countries.She said that Bangladesh is now the worlds 35th largest economy "with a GDP of USD 460 billion. We are projected to become the 24th largest by the first half of the 2030s."She pointed to government plans to make Bangladesh a fully technologically smart country by 2041, as well as its efforts to promote trade and business for the foreign private sector and develop investment systems as "Bangladesh offers one of the most liberal investment regimes in the region. The incentives being offered include tax holidays, concessionary duty on machinery import, allowing 100% foreign equity, profit repatriation, among others.She added that the government is setting up 100 Special Economic Zones with coordinated facilities. There are so far five country-specific Economic Zones in the making, while calling on Qatari businessmen and investors to invest in Bangladesh and stressed the government's openness to investment proposals in the country's infrastructure and logistics sectors.She also expressed her country's desire for Qatari investments in the energy sector, including renewable energy and to benefit from Qatar's expertise in offshore gas exploration, energy storage and distribution systems, and cooperation in the field of agriculture and agricultural manufacturing. She said: "We have plans to set up three special tourism zones, where Qatar can engage in both real estate and hospitality sectors."Regarding developments in the Middle East, she stressed that Bangladesh and Qatar share the same position on the Palestine issue, condemn the genocide and urge for an immediate ceasefire and quick delivery of humanitarian assistance, praising the efforts of Qatar for calm in Gaza that "have been highly lauded by the international community".In a related context, she stressed her countrys firm position rejecting the Israeli occupation and calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. She continued by saying: "As a State Party to the Genocide Convention, Bangladesh calls on all states to respect their obligations under the Genocide Convention to prevent and punish the crime of genocide."Sheikh Hasina Wajed concluded her interview with QNA by emphasizing the importance of the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to advance relations, enhance areas of cooperation between the two countries, and exchange views on the latest developments at the regional and international levels, in addition to discussing issues and topics of common interest.