Bangladesh to sign defence deal with Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to the kingdom.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 Oct 2018, 11:45 AM
Updated : 15 Oct 2018, 01:12 PM

Hasina will leave Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon on a special flight of Bangladesh Biman for Riyadh on a two-day visit at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said at a media briefing on Monday.

Two MoUs – one on defence and the other on ICT – will be signed during the visit, he said.

Ali, however, did not elaborate on the defence deal which is going to be signed at the end of this government’s tenure.

Earlier in 2015, Bangladesh joined the Saudi-led military coalition to combat terrorism and militancy.

When asked about the details, the foreign minister said: “You will know when it is signed."

The prime minister’s visit comes amid the tension between the kingdom and the West over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

Asked about the incident the foreign minister said Bangladesh is following the news of the disappearance and “welcomes” Saudi Arabia’s proposal to form a joint working group with Turkey to investigate the incident.

“We hope this joint investigation will help clear up all the speculation.”

The prime minister will meet King Salman on Oct 17 in Riyadh. She will inaugurate the newly-constructed Bangladesh Embassy building and also attend a business seminar hosted by the Council of Saudi Chambers.

The prime minister will also observe Umrah and offer prayers at the grave of Prophet Muhammad in Medina on Oct 18.

She will also lay the foundation stone of Bangladesh consulate in Jeddah before leaving for Dhaka on the morning of Oct 19.

According to Ali, the prime minister will highlight Bangladesh’s socio-economic achievements during her visit and seek more development support from Saudi Arabia.

He said the relations with the kingdom had been “strengthened” in recent years due to the “farsighted” leadership of the prime minister.

It is now “multidimensional”, he said, adding that relations are now expanding to the defence level in addition to the religious, political, economic, and cultural relations.

This year, Bangladesh participated in the ‘Gulf Shield-I’ joint military exercise with the kingdom along with 22 other countries.

The prime minister also attended the concluding session of the exercise at the invitation of the king.

She also attended the ‘Arab Islamic American Summit’ in May 2017.

Previously, she visited the kingdom in 2016 at the invitation of the king.