Saudi Arabia
Saudi firm, BPDB sign deal to set up 1000MW solar power plant in Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to set up a 1000MW solar power plant in Bangladesh.
Welcoming the initiative, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that the investment and technological assistance from Saudi Arabia’s ACWA will help Bangladesh achieve its clean energy by 2041 goal.
He said Bangladesh has been promoting renewable energy in various ways.
Read more: Govt positive about Singapore company's 400MW Matarbari solar power plant proposal: Nasrul
“The government has been working in a coordinated manner to promote renewable energy. State-owned Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) is providing necessary technological support and consultations,” he said at the contract signing ceremony held at Biduyt Bhaban in Dhaka on Monday (November 28, 2022).
BPDB Board Secretary Mohammad Selim Reza and ACWA Power Business Development Department’s Executive Director Ayad Al Amri signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides.
As per the non-binding MoU, Saudi ACWA Power will provide technological and financial support while BPDB will extend its administrative support for the 1000MW solar power project.
Read more: British High Commission Dhaka turns to renewable energy through solar panels
With BPDB chairman Md Mahbubur Rahman in the chair, the MoU signing event between BPDB and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power was also addressed by power secretary Habuibur Rahman and Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Bin Yousef Al Duhailan.
Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard sorry to disappoint mother
Sorry, mom.
Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard felt he disappointed his mother when Poland beat his team at the World Cup on Saturday.
The French coach said before the match that it was going to be very special for her because her parents were Polish, “but she will wear her Saudi national shirt. Don’t worry.”
It’s the first World Cup that Renard’s mother has attended and she was at Lusail Stadium to see one of the biggest upsets when his team defeated Argentina 2-1 in its opening match.
“I think every week she’s watching maybe two, three games,” Renard said. “She loves football, so of course, she was very happy.”
Read more: Saudi fans put on brave face after World Cup loss to Poland
There was no repeat upset Saturday as Robert Lewandowski scored one goal and set up another in Poland’s 2-0 win.
“She won’t be happy with me this evening,” Renard said. “I’m sure she’s really sad. But I will tell her, you always repeat to me, 'Never give up. Always work hard and the chance will come back.’”
Qualifying for the second round is still possible for Saudi Arabia after its loss to Poland.“Like I said before, we are still alive,” Renard said.
The 54-year-old Renard was already well liked for his success with the Saudi Arabia team since taking over in 2019 and his popularity has grown even more since the win over Argentina.
Renard was swarmed by admirers after press conference Friday when local journalists lined up to take selfies with him. The suave Frenchman patently smiled his broad smile, flashing immaculate teeth for the photos and he appeared in no hurry to leave.
Renard has had great success at the international level. He surprisingly guided Zambia to its first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012, then repeated the feat with Ivory Coast three years later.
The former Lille and Sochaux coach helped Morocco qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was the first time in 20 years Morocco had reached the tournament. His team only managed one point from three group stage games, however, losing 1-0 to both Iran and Portugal before drawing 2-2 with Spain.
This World Cup is already better.
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Mystery behind Saudi Arabia’s Win Against Argentina
Against Poland on Saturday, Saudi Arabia had twice as many shots at goal as Poland did. Poland was boosted by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who had a penalty save and several other vital blocks.
“We didn’t lose the game today because we are unlucky. We lost the game to them because we were not efficient,” said Renard, who praised Szczesny. “He did his job, a fantastic job. But nobody discovered him today, huh? He’s a great goalkeeper.”
Renard has pride in how his team has played in both of its World Cup games so far.
“I don’t think a lot of people (thought) Saudi Arabia was able to play this kind of football,” he said. “This is the reason why I’m proud of them.”
Renard referred to the vocal support the Green Falcons received at Education City Stadium, where the enthusiastic Saudi fans turned the game into a home one, and he hopes for more of the same for the final group game against Mexico on Nov. 30 back at Lusail – where his team beat Argentina.
“I hope they won’t give up,” Renard said of the fans. “Because when you are fans, you need to support your team when it’s a fantastic day, but you also need to support your team to make the history during the third game.”
Flashes of Arab unity at World Cup after years of discontent
For a brief moment after Saudi Arabia's Salem Aldawsari fired a ball from just inside the penalty box into the back of the net to seal a World Cup win against Argentina, Arabs across the divided Middle East found something to celebrate.
Such Arab unity is hard to come by and fleeting when it arrives. But Qatar's hosting of the World Cup has provided a moment where many in the Arab world have rallied by Doha and the Saudi team's win.
Whether that momentum continues will be tested on Saturday as Saudi Arabia faces Poland — and as regional tensions, religious differences and renewed economic competition between countries resume.
“All Arabic countries are celebrating because one Arab team won,” said 27-year-old Saudi Rakan Yousef after Arab fans congratulated him in Doha, Qatar, on the Green Falcons’ win. “Even the emir of Qatar attended our match. ... There’s this feeling now that we are all brothers. That’s why I’m speechless.”
The Arab world's division start even with the Arabic language.
Spoken Arabic changes regionally, with the Berber-infused Arabic of North Africa, the rapid-fire Egyptian heard in movies and television comedies, the soft Levantine drawl and the guttural dialect of the Gulf Arabs.
Read more: Saudi fans put on brave face after World Cup loss to Poland
Religion is another differentiator — there are Muslims, both Sunni and Shiite with subgroups within, and minority Christians, Druze, Baha'i and others. Different views on religion and regional rivalries bleed into conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Yemen.
But despite an attempt by al-Qaida to stir up extremists, the monthlong World Cup in energy-rich Qatar so far has seen unity among the Gulf Arab nations. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the heads of state in two countries that only some two years ago had boycotted Qatar, attended the tournament's opening match.
Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, called Qatar's hosting of the tournament “a milestone for all Arabs" and also attended the opening. That feeling was shared by others as well.
“We are proud to be here for the first World Cup in an Arabic country,” Morocco coach Walid Regragui said.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi similarly praised Qatar while dismissing the criticisms of journalists — and by extension, rights groups.
“Qatar did a tremendous job organizing a World Cup. ... Qatar never claimed it was perfect,” Safadi said. “We have differences in opinion, we have differences in views but that should not take away from the fact that Qatar has really put together a World Cup that is unique in every sense of the word.”
Read more: On outskirts of Doha, laborers watch World Cup they built
But the biggest surprise came two days later as Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina by winning their opener in the tournament, with Aldawsari doing a cartwheel and a flip. Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attended the match and wore a Saudi flag around his shoulders.
One veteran Saudi sports journalist, Majed al-Tuwaijri, even wept on air after the match.
“This is the most beautiful and important moment in my life and my 30-year media career," he said, his voice choking up. “I find myself failing to express myself because of the complexity of my feelings toward this great historical victory.”
Saudi Arabia's King Salman declared Wednesday a public holiday to commemorate the win. In the kingdom and outside of it, people cheered and waved the country's green and white flag to celebrate.
The Saudi flag itself carries two images that show its complicated place in the wider Arab world. It bears a white sword and the Arabic inscription of the shahada, a Muslim declaration of faith: "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” After the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 A.D., Islam spread from the austere desert reaches of the Arabian Peninsula that later would become Saudi Arabia.
Today, Saudi Arabia maintains beheading as a form of execution and is one of the world's top enforcers of the death penalty. The kingdom also has used its oil money since the 1980s to export an ultraconservative view of Islam called Wahhabism into mosques around the world. Extremists have exploited Wahhabi organizations receiving Saudi funding as well.
That history, as well as regional politics, make a wholehearted embrace of Saudi Arabia more complicated for Arabs in the Mideast. While some celebrated Saudi Arabia's win in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave blockaded by Egypt and Israel is ruled by the militant group Hamas. The kingdom, while not diplomatically recognizing Israel, now allows Israeli airlines overflight rights.
The limits also can be seen in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been fighting the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since 2015. Houthi Information Minister Daifallah al-Shami on Twitter offered “a thousand congratulations” to Saudi Arabia for placing “Arab football back on the map.” He later deleted the tweet and apologized.
“There are red lines that no party or person should cross,” al-Shami wrote.
The Saudi win, which the daily newspaper Okaz described as “restoring the glories” of the kingdom, also fits into the new, more nationalistic Saudi Arabia forming under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
As the prince has risen to power, the kingdom has socially liberalized by allowing women to drive, reopening movie theaters and curtailing its morality police. His comments to the team ahead of the tournament, urging them to “enjoy” the matches, have been repeated constantly in Saudi Arabia's tightly controlled press.
But Prince Mohammed also led a self-described corruption crackdown targeting anyone with power in the kingdom. U.S. intelligence agencies believe the brutal slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul came at his orders, something denied by the kingdom.
Meanwhile, economic competition between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia has been increasing as Riyadh tries to draw international business from Dubai. Qatar, which faced a Saudi-led boycott only two years earlier, has embraced the kingdom while solidifying ties with the United States as hedge. The inconclusive war in Yemen still rages.
Soccer provides a respite, but no panacea for those woes.
“You’d have to have a historical lobotomy to think this is a stable region,” said David B. Roberts, an associate professor at King’s College London who long has studied Gulf Arab nations.
Saudi fans put on brave face after World Cup loss to Poland
It was a home crowd for Saudi Arabia on Saturday as it played Poland in its second match at the World Cup.
Despite clear disappointment over the 2-0 loss, Saudi fans were still basking in the glow of their team’s improbable win against Argentina earlier this week, one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
“We’re going to forget what happened today,” said Ahmad al-Khalaf, a 35-year-old from the country’s eastern al-Ahsa region, when asked about the defeat. “For sure, we’re going to beat (Mexico) in the next match as we beat Argentina before.”
Read: ‘Normal thing to do’: Japanese fans tidy up at World Cup
The stadium was a sea of green as stands filled with tens of thousands of Saudi fans, lured across the border by the lingering thrill of their country’s rare World Cup triumph. Men in dark green jerseys and women in lime-hued abayas, their faces painted in the colors of the national flag, cheered each moment a Saudi player kicked the ball. When Poland’s players made a move, boos thundered around the pitch.
Some fans speculated that the sheer size and intensity of the crowd created pressure that hurt the team’s performance. But others reveled in the sense of togetherness.
“The crowd was totally beautiful,” said 25-year-old Malek al-Malki from the port city of Jeddah. “It’s clear we suddenly believe more in our national team.”
Few had predicted that the ultraconservative kingdom, the second lowest-ranked team in the World Cup, would have been swept up in the wildest revelry of the tournament so far. But the kingdom’s affection for the national team reflects the new, more nationalistic Saudi Arabia rising under powerful Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The win over Argentina sparked celebrations across the Arab world, from Cairo to Gaza City in a rare display of Arabi unity.
Read: On outskirts of Doha, laborers watch World Cup they built
That pride and patriotism was undimmed on Saturday, even as crestfallen fans filtered out of the stadium.
“That joy lives forever,” said Osama al-Jamal, a 22-year-old student who drove from Riyadh to watch his team play.
FIFA World Cup 2022: Mystery behind Saudi Arabia’s Win Against Argentina
First upset in the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. Saudi Arabia surprised the football world by beating Argentina by 2-1 goal. No one thought this would happen. But that's what happened.
Argentina started the match with an unbeaten 36 games streak. The last time they lost a match was against Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinals. After that, they won 25 games and drew 11 games in the last 2 years. According to history, only Italy has a record of 37 unbeaten matches.
Argentina could have touched Italy's record if they won or even drawn against Saudi Arabia. But Argentina's unbeaten streak has been finished finally. So, what gives 51-ranked Saudi Arabia so much energy to beat ranked 3rd Argentina? Let's see the mystery!
Read More: ‘They robbed us with 3 goals disallowed in the first half’
Mystery Behind the Most Sensational Upset Caused by Saudi Arabia
Well, Argentina is one of the strongest teams and contenders for the title in this World Cup. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is a weak team compared to Argentina, but they surprised the world eventually. How did they do it?
Super Active Coach
When it comes to international football, Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard is a kind of legend with 23 years of coaching career experience. Over the years, he worked with 13 teams and won two major trophies, which include two Africa Cup of Nations with two different teams, Zambia and Ivory Coast.
Renard's strategy worked in the match when Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari scored goals in a five-minute attacking storm at the beginning of the second half.
Read More: Are Argentina still genuine contenders?
Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais
Apart from two goals by Saleh and Salem, one more person is credited with winning the match. He is Mohammed Al-Owais. You can consider him as "The Great Wall of China" of the Saudi Arabian goalpost. He had the biggest contribution to this victory of Saudi.
He stood under the goalpost like a mountain and stopped all attacks. Messi could not defeat him except for one penalty and three offsides in the whole game. Argentina's seven attacks were blocked one by one. Leonel Messi didn't have a chance to score the second goal over Al-Owais, who stood 6 feet 2 inches.
Argentina's five goal attempts failed one by one because of this "Superman." Saudi Arabia beat Argentina for the first time, thanks to his remarkable saves. Due to his outstanding performance, he received the man of the match award.
Read More: Fracturing jaw during World Cup match vs Argentina, Saudi footballer al-Shahrani says he’s ok
Al-Owais played for the first time in the 2018 World Cup. But he played in one match against Uruguay. The Saudi goalkeeper proved his skill in the first match of this year's World Cup.
At the start of the game, Al-Owais showed that his team could rely on him when he blocked Messi's left-foot shot from inside the box by jumping to the right. Otherwise, Argentina would have gotten the lead at the beginning of the game.
At the end of the match, Argentina became desperate to repay the goal. However, Al-Owasis stopped one attack after another and stopped two certain goals in stoppage time. Among them, Julián Álvarez got the best chance of the match in 101 minutes. But Al-Owasis took control of the ball with a high jump.
Read More: From Jordan to Qatar, Arab fans celebrate Saudi victory over favourite Argentina
Offside Trap
According to coach Herve Renard's strategy, Saudi Arabia kept their offside trap active for 90 minutes. Saudi Arabia showed a surprise by using the offside trap brilliantly. Messi-Martinez has repeatedly stepped into this trap. Due to this, Argentina could not increase the gap even after scoring two more goals in the first half.
After Messi, Lautaro Martinez's double goal was disallowed. Argentina had to remain upset in the second half due to the regret of 3 goals that were canceled for offside in the first half. Despite scoring 4 goals in the whole match, Argentina did not win against Saudi Arabia.
Messi scored a goal in the 22nd minute. But the linesman had already raised the flag and said it was offside. Lautaro Martinez scored in the 28th minute. But this time, also due to VAR, it was shown that he was offside.
Read More: ‘Now's the time to be more united than ever’: Messi after Argentina's shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia
So, the goal was canceled. In the 34th minute, Argentina got the ball into the Saudi net once again. But before that, the side referee informed - it was offside. And these offsides were Saudi Arabia's strategy behind the historic win. With this trap, they did not have to guard the star players.
Throughout the game, Argentina has been caught for seven offsides, which is more than any team at the 2018 World Cup or this World Cup so far.
A Solid Game Plan
Renard's team tore up the strategy script. All the Saudi players were direct, pressed high, and physical and eventually got into Argentina's faces. Although Saudis' defensive shape may look a bit erratic, it helps them to get the ball back. This tactic helped them win the ball higher up the pitch, which allowed them to create opportunity and space. This also unsettles the Argentine midfield.
Read More: Qatar World Cup: Saudi Arabia's stunning victory end Argentina's 36-match winning streak
Ultimately, the Saudis showed bravery by coming in an unbelievably high line against an attacking trio of Messi, Di Maria, and Martinez. This bravery was responsible for winning the ball in the middle of the field, which eventually led to the forward push in Argentina's defense.
Final Words
With this win against Argentina, Saudi Arabia surely get a boost in their confidence. They will play their next match against Poland on November 26. Now, it is time to see if Argentina can come back strong. This defeat will surely be written in Argentina's history of the World Cup.
‘They robbed us with 3 goals disallowed in the first half’
Argentines in Buenos Aires watched in disbelief the bitter 2-1 loss by their national team against Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday. “To begin with, they robbed us with the three goals that were disallowed in the first half. Another thing, it was an injustice because they reached (the goal) twice and scored each time, and in the end, they dropped back and (we could do) nothing,” Nicolas (last name not given), an Argentine fan lamented.
Read More: From Jordan to Qatar, Arab fans celebrate Saudi victory over favourite Argentina
Hundreds of people dressed in blue and white gathered to watch the match on a giant screen in a public park.
“It’s a surprising result but I have hope that Argentina can be the champion because we are one of the candidates (to win the World Cup), having the best player in the world, Lionel Messi,” Margarita Albornoz, another Argentine fan, said.
Argentina took an early lead with a 10th-minute penalty by Messi. But goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span in the second half gave Saudi Arabia the win.
Read More: Fracturing jaw during World Cup match vs Argentina, Saudi footballer al-Shahrani says he’s ok
FANS UPSET OVER MATCH
In Buenos Aires, hundreds of people dressed in blue and white met at a public park very early in the morning to watch the match in a giant screen.
Messi’s quest to win the one major title to elude him got off to a shocking start and brought back memories of Cameroon’s 1-0 win over an Argentina team, led by Diego Maradona, in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup.
Argentine fans are still upset about three disallowed goals against Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a 2-1 defeat in their Qatar 2022 debut.
Read More: World Cup: FIFA brings charge against Ecuador over 'discriminatory chants' at match vs Qatar
Route to Mecca: MoU signed to make Bangladeshi pilgrims' Saudi visits easier
Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have signed a bilateral document on ‘Route to Mecca’ which will ease visit of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom.
Under Route to Mecca service agreement, Hajis (Pilgrims) would be able to complete their immigration in Dhaka prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia.
Bangladesh is the first country with whom Saudi Arabia has signed Route to Mecca service agreement considering "excellent relations" between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, said the government.
Another MoU on secirtuy cooperation was also singed between the two countries.
Read more: Joint working group to resolve passport renewal issues of Bangladeshis living in Saudi
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan briefed reporters after a meeting with visiting Deputy Minister of Interior of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood at the Home Ministry on Sunday.
Security cooperation includes capacity building, skills development and exchange of visits between members of the security forces.
The Home Minister said earlier Bangladeshis had to wait in long queues for the immigration process to go to Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj. But from now, the immigration process for going to KSA for Hajj will be completed in Dhaka due to signing ‘Route to Mecca’ MOU .
About Rohingya issue, the Home Minister said that about three lakh Rohingyas are staying in Saudi Arabia and many of them have Bangladeshi passports.
“The Saudi government wanted the renewal of their passports. We have given them assurance to consider the issue. Besides, we also sought the cooperation of the Saudi government to send the Rohingyas back to Myanmar,” he said.
Read more: Saudi Arabia assures assistance in commercial supply of LNG to Bangladesh
Joint working group to resolve passport renewal issues of Bangladeshis living in Saudi
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia on Sunday agreed to form a joint working group to resolve the issue of Bangladeshis living in Saudia Arabia whose passports require renewal.
The issue was raised when visiting Deputy Minister of Interior of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood called on the PM at her official residence Ganabhaban.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
Read more: BAIRA won't submit passports at Saudi embassy anymore
The Saudi Deputy Minister raised the issue of Bangladeshis with expired passports living in the Kingdom.
He also proposed the formation of a joint working group to address the issue.
The Prime Minister agreed on the proposal and instructed concerned officials to form a joint working group.
PM’s press secretary also said that various issues related to bilateral interest came up for discussion during the talks.
He said, Dr Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood thanked the Prime Minister for Bangladesh’s support to Saudi Arabia in multilateral fora on the issue of its expo scheduled for 2030.
The Saudi Deputy Minister congratulated the Prime Minister on 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence and 100th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He also lauded for the impressive development of Bangladesh over the last decade under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Read more: “Reintroducing machine readable passports for Bangladeshis in US to be reviewed”
During the meeting, the Prime Minister referred to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war and said that these have created obstacles to the economic progress of countries in the world.
She also sought Saudi cooperation to resolve the Rohingya issue.
Sheikh Hasina conveyed good wishes for the custodian of the two holy mosques and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the crown prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
PM's Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, Bangladeshi Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr Javed Patwary and Ambassador of the Saudi Arabia Essa Yousef Essa Alduhailan, were present, among others.
PM seeks Saudi fuel with deferred payment schedule
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 13, 2022) sought fuel from Saudi Arabia, with a deferred payment schedule.
She made the request while the Deputy Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.
Read more: Bangladesh wants to import petroleum from KSA at lower price: Nasrul
PM’s press secretary briefed reporters after the meeting.
He said that Bangladesh's Prime Minister sought cooperation in oil supply from Saudi Arabia with a deferred payment schedule.
Read more: Saudi Arabia assures assistance in commercial supply of LNG to Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia assures assistance in commercial supply of LNG to Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia has assured its assistance in the commercial supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Bangladesh on an emergency basis.
The Saudi assurance came during the 14th meeting of the Joint Economic Commission of the two countries held from October 30 to 31 in its capital Riyadh.
The Saudi delegation in the meeting also assured its assistance after Bangladesh requested investment in the Eastern Refinery Unit 2 project.
read more: Political stability, good incentives attract Saudi companies to invest in Bangladesh: Saudi Envoy
Two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed between the two countries during the meeting on mutual cooperation in recruitment, training of naval professionals, and increasing trade.
During the meeting, the two countries agreed to form a task force to enhance energy cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. It was decided to hold regular meetings of the task force on cooperation in the energy sector at convenient times for the two countries.
In the meeting, discussions were held regarding the construction of 1000 MW solar power and 730 MW gas power plant in Bangladesh by Saudi ACWA Power.
Read more: Saudi delegation to visit Bangladesh soon to discuss energy cooperation: Envoy
In the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Bangladesh Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Communications and Information in Saudi Arabia to increase mutual cooperation in all possible fields including recruitment, and training of the maritime professionals of the two countries.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammad Javed Patwary signed the MoU on behalf of Bangladesh and Deputy of Maritime Transport Abdul Rahman M Al Thunayen signed on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
In the meeting, another MoU was signed between the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI), and the Federation of Saudi Chambers and Commerce to form a Joint Business Council to increase trade. The MoU was signed by FBCCI Vice President Md Habib Ullah and his Saudi counterpart Vice President of the Federation of Saudi Chambers Tariq bin Muhammad Al-Haidari.
Read More: Dependence on LNG import to continue, more terminals to be set up: Energy Advisor
An agreement was made between the Health, Education and Family Welfare Division of Bangladesh and the Saudi Ministry of Health To sign an expedited MoU for an 'Executive Program' for the recruitment of professionals from Bangladesh in the Saudi health sector.
Besides, a consensus was made on the signing of another MoU aiming to increase effective bilateral support in all fields of science and education between the education ministries of the two countries.
Economic Relations Division Secretary Sharifa Khan led the Bangladesh delegation during the meeting while Saudi Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain led the Saudi delegation.
Read More: Nasrul Hamid now hopes power supply situation will improve from Nov
The next meeting of the Joint Economic Commission will be held in Dhaka.