KSA issues record 12,300 visas in a day: Saudi ambassador
The Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh has said his country has issued a new record of 12,300 visas in single working day
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KSA issues record 12,300 visas in a day: Saudi ambassador
Diplomatic CorrespondentDhaka
Published: 03 Mar 2022, 01:57
Saudi ambassador Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan: Collected
The Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh has said his country has issued a new record of 12,300 visas in single working day. Meanwhile, the Saudi foreign minister is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on 16 March to discuss big projects.
"The embassy issued more than 38000 working visa last week," Saudi ambassador Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan told a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday. He also said more than 2.3 million Bangladeshi labors are employed in Saudi Arabia in diverse fields.
Despite the fact that recruiting has been reduced or halted as a result of the pandemic, but Saudi Arabia continues to recruit migrants from Bangladesh, and the flights between the two brotherly countries did not stop or even suspended, he added.
The ambassador said Saudi Arabia has issued more than 1.4 million working visas during the last five years. "On 1 November 2021, we issued almost 8,500 work visas in a single day and now we issue 4000 visa every working day," he added.
Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan said Saudi investors are willing to invest extensively in Bangladesh to boost up the country’s economy.
“Saudi ACWA Power has already announced to invest $600 million to build a 700MW power plant and proposed a total $3.5 billion in Bangladesh. The Saudi Red Sea gateway terminal wants to invest 1.2 billion USD in Bangladesh'', the envoy added.
Saudi ambassador Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan addresses a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday. Collected
Essa Yussef Essa said Saudi investors are willing to invest in areas such as oil refineries, petrochemical complexes, LNG terminals, power plants, the food and medical industry, road and railway construction, port and harbor construction, civil and military aircraft maintenance and spare parts manufacturing, fertilizers, and solar energy in Bangladesh.
A Saudi Arabian enterprise has confirmed a $1.8 billion investment in Bangladesh. Apart from this, Saudi Arabia is studying to establish a special economic zone and considering scopes to invest in the construction of rail links connecting Dhaka and the Payra port, including the development of Cox's Bazar as an international tourist destination, he added.
Lauding the prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s visionary leadership, the envoy said Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh’s excellent diplomatic relationship has reached a new height during the last decades.
It has become more fraternal, strong, and continuously evolving. This is due to the joint effort and policies adopted by the king Salman bin Abdul Aziz and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh claimed.
Talking about the education, Essa Yussef Essa said several universities throughout the kingdom have boosted the number of scholarships available to Bangladeshi students and employed faculty members.
