Saudi investors want to invest $5bn in Bangladesh: Ambassador Essa

Saudi investors are keen to invest around US$5 billion in various sectors in Bangladesh, the kingdom’s ambassador to Dhaka has said, reports news agency UNB.

Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan, the Saudi Arabia ambassador to Bangladesh, said the investors are particularly interested in investing in the South Asian country’s tourism sector.

“Saudi Arabia is also interested in working with Bangladesh to develop the aviation industry,” he told state minister for civil aviation and tourism Md Mahbub Ali when they met at the secretariat.

“We’ll be happy to work with Saudi investors to develop Bangladesh’s tourism sector,” Ali told Essa.

Ali said he firmly believed that the two countries will be able to work together for developing the aviation sector as well.

He thanked Saudi Arabia for looking after Bangladeshis during the pandemic.

Ali informed the ambassador that Biman Bangladesh Airlines is currently operating flights to Saudi Arabia under a special arrangement. He requested kingdom to approve Biman’s schedule flights and making arrangements to allow 86,000 Bangladeshi workers return to their workplaces.

Ambassador Essa lauded prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership and said the bilateral ties between the two countries are deep and strong.

“We always pay special importance to our relationship with Bangladesh. This is why Saudi Arabia’s air connectivity with Bangladesh was not cut off even when air communication with different countries was closed (during the coronavirus pandemic). Once the permission for scheduled flight operations is given, Biman will get it on priority basis,” the ambassador said.

He lauded Bangladeshi workers as skilled and hardworking. “Employers are satisfied with their work efficiency. Swift steps will be taken to ensure that’s workers who could not return and those who got visas are taken to Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding that Bangladeshi citizens working in the kingdom will receive free coronavirus vaccine.