Saudi Arabia seeks active role of Bangladesh against Iran

[asad71]

With our defense and foreign affairs tied with Delhi's, an involvement in S Arabia should not raise eyebrows given S Arab-India relations warming up in recent times.

 

[Nilgiri]

With our defense and foreign affairs tied with Delhi's, an involvement in S Arabia should not raise eyebrows given S Arab-India relations warming up in recent times.

India relations with Iran are also warming up esp with Chahbahar project. So if B'desh F.O is tied with India, Bangladesh is best off balancing relations between the two and not commiting anything overly to the likes of KSA. They are just waiting to latch onto another provider of mercenaries and cannon fodder.

 

[Gandh brandi]

The govt. will do exact the opposite of what we're expecting in this forum. After many years S. Arabia finally warmed upto BAL when in the past they were historically tied with BNP. But they understand now that BAL is here to stay. if BNP comes to power somehow, they'd be ready to jump ship again. but short term warming upto BAL is more tactical. And BAL will revel in finally winning out SA. So they'll side with saudi when iran is not directly in question e.g. UN's blacklisting SA on civilian death by saudi coalition where BD, Jordan and UAE criticized the blacklist. but at the same remain moot on resolutions directly affecting iran like further sanctions by UN maybe in the future. And they'll send troops alright. mostly during peacetime and if a war breaks out, non-combatant units maybe engineers and medic. you have to understand, openly not siding with SA a la refusing to send any troops will have some negative effect on mostly sunni general populace and military.

 

[TopCat]

The govt. will do exact the opposite of what we're expecting in this forum. After many years S. Arabia finally warmed upto BAL when in the past they were historically tied with BNP. But they understand now that BAL is here to stay. if BNP comes to power somehow, they'd be ready to jump ship again. but short term warming upto BAL is more tactical. And BAL will revel in finally winning out SA. So they'll side with saudi when iran is not directly in question e.g. UN's blacklisting SA on civilian death by saudi coalition where BD, Jordan and UAE criticized the blacklist. but at the same remain moot on resolutions directly affecting iran like further sanctions by UN maybe in the future. And they'll send troops alright. mostly during peacetime and if a war breaks out, non-combatant units maybe engineers and medic. you have to understand, openly not siding with SA a la refusing to send any troops will have some negative effect on mostly sunni general populace and military.

Besides Bangladesh will not antagonize Russia. Russia already shown concern and BD assured that BD will not participate without security council resolution which means without Russian consent.

 

[Michael Corleone]

This news would indicate two things
1) The defence procurement funds of BD would be supplemented by KSA.
2) India would have to increase her budget because BD might be cutting loose...

Military aid and Saudi? I don't think so. Bruh no one gives us military aid. Yeah there was loan from Russia and that's about it. I see economic assistance however as the king showed interest in investing in Islamic education etc.

BD should go by Pak way and stay away from 34 nation military because these are not for terrorism but for Iran specific. In a decade Iran is going to become more powerful than Saudi Arabia and still Iran defense industry and forces are powerful than Saudi Arabia.

Those 2 holy mosques will be protected by Pak always just like Pak protected them before because these mosques belong to entire Muslim World not KSA only.

By the way do Bangladesh have sunni and shia both? Which are more in quantity?

There are Sunnis and shias but Sunnis majority. Muslims in Bangladesh don't care if you're shia or Sunnis. All that matters is you're Muslim and that's about it.

Only idiot fanatics will support Saudi Arabia over Iran. Bangladeshis are Indo-Aryan (Iranian) people, not Arabs. So by nature we will feel closer to Iranians than dessert dwellers Arabs. We support Iran in this war.

Only idiot fanatics will support Saudi Arabia over Iran. Bangladeshis are Indo-Aryan (Iranian) people, not Arabs. So by nature we will feel closer to Iranians than dessert dwellers Arabs. We support Iran in this war.

Indo Aryan is a different race altogether. Indus valley civilisation early Nordic races. Origin from turkey.

Besides Bangladesh will not antagonize Russia. Russia already shown concern and BD assured that BD will not participate without security council resolution which means without Russian consent.

I think what they mean by security council is we don't wanna get involved in your shit and you niggas shouldn't fight. However if the mosque are attacked by someone we will defend it. Bangladesh is not Russia's slave. Its all business.

 

[TopCat]

I think what they mean by security council is we don't wanna get involved in your shit and you niggas shouldn't fight. However if the mosque are attacked by someone we will defend it. Bangladesh is not Russia's slave. Its all business.

Bangladesh do care about Russia. Kosovo still not getting recognition by BD despite American pressure due to Russian objection.

 

[Zabaniyah]

By supporting strikes against Houthi rebels, Bangladesh may have already taken sides. Those Shia militants are allegedly supported by Iran. And we don't buy a single drop of oil from Iran.

The Saudis pledged to increase cooperation in regards to trade and investment, and that point is important. The current FDI inflow in Bangladesh isn't sufficient to reach its vision of becoming a middle income country by 2021. In addition, its local investment climate is very sluggish at the moment. This is due to a range of factors. Many foreign investors would find the regulatory environment confusing/unclear, red-tape, cumbersome processes, bureaucracy, lack of infrastructure and energy. Investment in energy and infrastructure is a prime. There's also a matter intolerance (not just from a religious perspective), law and order, armed cadres and such. Also, Bangladesh gets really, REALLY bad media coverage abroad, particularly in the Western media.

The current government has been working hard to gain access to capital abroad to realize its Vision, and even has allowed private commercial banks to borrow foreign loans (which wasn't allowed before). It sorely needs capital in order to maintain at least a degree of credibility.

Other than that, I see no other reason to be a part of this military coalition.

 

[Dawood Ibrahim]

By the way do Bangladesh have sunni and shia both? Which are more in quantity?[/QUOTE]
Majority are sunni

 

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh in an ideal scenario should stay away from Saudi-Iran issues. However in the real world this won't be possible.

Our eggs are definitely in the Saudi basket. Whilst we have historic ties with Iran currently there is minuscule economic and strategic relationship. There is nothing there for us to logically adopt a position of neutrality. If push comes to shove BD will stand with KSA in every issue. The UN fig leaf will fall away in the slightest whisper of trouble. Expect full and enthusiastic BD participation in any every Saudi initiative.

Bangladesh foreign policy is based on certain philosophy that transcends internal political viewpoints. These are in Muslim affairs we are Saudi centric, in global affairs we are US centric and in Asian affairs we are China centric.

Beautifully explained @mb444 Bhai!

By supporting strikes against Houthi rebels, Bangladesh may have already taken sides. Those Shia militants are allegedly supported by Iran. And we don't buy a single drop of oil from Iran.

The Saudis pledged to increase cooperation in regards to trade and investment, and that point is important. The current FDI inflow in Bangladesh isn't sufficient to reach its vision of becoming a middle income country by 2021. In addition, its local investment climate is very sluggish at the moment. This is due to a range of factors. Many foreign investors would find the regulatory environment confusing/unclear, red-tape, cumbersome processes, bureaucracy, lack of infrastructure and energy. Investment in energy and infrastructure is a prime. There's also a matter intolerance (not just from a religious perspective), law and order, armed cadres and such. Also, Bangladesh gets really, REALLY bad media coverage abroad, particularly in the Western media.

The current government has been working hard to gain access to capital abroad to realize its Vision, and even has allowed private commercial banks to borrow foreign loans (which wasn't allowed before). It sorely needs capital in order to maintain at least a degree of credibility.

Other than that, I see no other reason to be a part of this military coalition.

Great Post - good explanation!

By the way do Bangladesh have sunni and shia both? Which are more in quantity?

Majority are sunni[/QUOTE]

I will add that the relationship between Sunni and Shia communities on the whole has been harmonious. Shias are concentrated in urban areas and a large community exists in old Dhaka where 'Tazia' festivals take place. There are scores of Ahmadi Mosques in Bangladesh as well and thankfully no one bats an eyelash nowadays.

People in Bangladesh don't care about sectarianism at the moment, other than some very fringe extremist Islamist elements, quite minuscule in number, trying to draw attention with severe criminal acts. You can have Islam without violence - and to most people Islam is something personal.

People are focused on one thing nowadays, development and raising of living standards with economic activity. The ball started rolling a long time ago, and will not stop for a while....

 

[bongbang]

Riyadh agrees to invest petro-fund in mega projects in Bangladesh

The relationship between Dhaka and Riyadh has reached a new height where for the first time Saudi Arabia has expressed its willingness to channel its public fund for investment in Bangladesh.

During the recent visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the kingdom, the issue was discussed with the top Saudi leadership.

“Bangladesh wants Saudi public investment in different development projects in infrastructure, communications and energy, and Saudi Arabia responded positively,” Bangladesh’s deputy chief of mission in Riyadh, Nazrul Islam, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The prime minister in her meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz last week put forward proposals to invest in several mega development projects and the king instructed relevant ministers to visit Dhaka to discuss in details about the projects.

Nazrul said Saudi Arabia has adopted a plan to transfer its billions of dollars of petro-fund from Europe and America to Asian countries like Bangladesh.

The kingdom country also wants to reduce its economic dependency on oil revenue and invest in real and other sectors to absorb any negative oil shock, he added.

Manpower recruitment

The deputy chief of mission said Riyadh has opened up its labour market but it must be based on market demand.

“As long as Bangladesh can supply quality human resources, Riyadh has agreed to take them,” he said.

Citing an example, he said a Saudi government recruitment delegation visited Dhaka last month to recruit physicians with five to ten years of experience and their recruitment process has already started.

The monthly salary of the doctors would be around Tk300,000 and all other facilities like lodging and education for their children, he said.

Saudi Arabia is a big country with a huge economy and it needs foreign workers and as long as Bangladesh can provide quality workers with a reasonable migration cost, it will absorb them, Nazrul added.

Around 1.5 million Bangladeshis currently reside in Saudi Arabia and send billions of dollars of remittance back to the country.

Military coalition

Bangladesh has agreed to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its effort to counter violent extremism and terrorism.

Saudi Arabia last year formed a 34-nation coalition where Bangladesh is a primary member and agreed to provide all sorts of civil and military help to the coalition.

The prime minister in a press briefing on Wednesday said Bangladesh would send military personnel to protect the two holy shrines in Saudi Arabia.

A senior government official said the army chief of Bangladesh visited Saudi Arabia in March to discuss possible military assistance for the coalition.

Another meeting at the foreign minister level would be held in Riyadh soon where Bangladesh high-level representation is expected, he added.

Dhaka has a policy not to send military forces without the approval of the United Nations, but in the case of Saudi Arabia, it would make an exception, the official said.

Anti-Tehran position

Bangladesh gave a patient hearing about the anti-Tehran stance of Saudi Arabia during the visit of the prime minister to Riyadh.

Another senior government official said during the visit, Saudi Arabia raised the anti-Tehran issue and Bangladesh listened and took note of it.

Bangladesh has a foreign policy of “friendship to all, malice to none” and it has very friendly relationship with Iran.

“We have an embassy in Tehran where our ambassador is working and in reciprocity, Iran is also operating in Dhaka with a full-fledged embassy and an ambassador,” he said.

After the hajj tragedy where hundreds of pilgrimages from Iran died last year and attack on Saudi mission in Iran put the bilateral relationship in strained position and eventually Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran.

- See more at: http://www.dhakatribune.com/banglad...mega-projects-bangladesh#sthash.ZXEeDmYk.dpuf

 

[Michael Corleone]

Bangladesh do care about Russia. Kosovo still not getting recognition by BD despite American pressure due to Russian objection.

Care about and being Russia's cunt is two different matters.

 

[somebozo]

Bangladesh have no other business with Saudi other than manpower export.Involevment with middle eastern feud would be very bad for Bangladesh.Situation may get out of control.

Already madrassa politics are springing up in Bangladesh...

 

[mb444]

Already madrassa politics are springing up in Bangladesh...

Not so. BD policies are dictated by facts on the ground. BD KSA relationship are multitrack unlike that with Iran. BD therefore would position itself with KSA. No responsible country would do otherwise. We value our relationship with Saudi and BD would seek non involvement particularly militarily up to the last moment. Cost benefit analysis has already been done BD will cooperate with KSA. This is not madrasa policies it's pure national self interest.

Bangladesh do care about Russia. Kosovo still not getting recognition by BD despite American pressure due to Russian objection.

You are correct. Russia has been a friend of BD over the years. BD does listen to Russia, not recognising Kosovo is a simple thing to keep the Russians happy. We do this because Kosovo can not offer BD anything. We don't recognise the annexation of Crimea because that would lead to economic sanction by EU. It is all about national self interest. BD will appease/oppose other nation to further her own position. In this instance KSA/US axis trumps Russian position.

Russians understand the game, know their weak hand via-a-vis BD in this issue. Life would go on without any implication for future BD Russian relationship. Expect Migs to be sold whilst possible BD boots on the ground in the Middle East.