Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to fly to United Arab Emirates (UAE) on October 25-27 with Foreign Ministry officials hoping that her visit will help reopen the labour market there suspended since 2012.
The premier will discuss many bilateral issues with the UAE government.
Foreign Ministry officials hope the visit would be fruitful and the suspended labour market for Bangladeshis may be reopened.
“During the meeting, issues related to the interest of both the countries would be discussed and we hope the visit would be fruitful and we are working on it,” Foreign Ministry Director General (West Asia) Md Nazmul Islam said over phone yesterday.
He also said a number of agreements may be signed during the meeting or afterward.
A senior official at the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry said the labour market of UAE for Bangladeshi migrants had remained suspended since 2012.
Bangladesh voted in favour of Russia to organise World Expo 2020. As a result, the UAE government became annoyed with the Bangladesh government, a senior official of the Expatriate’s and Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry.
Voting in favour of Russia is one of the causes that might have irked the UAE government.
The official also said UAE is also irritated by various crimes committed by Bangladeshi migrant workers.
Sources said about 10,00,000 Bangladeshi citizens are staying for work in UAE. Of them, around 1,000 are languishing in jails. Out of those prisoners 19 were awarded death sentences and 104 jailed for life.
Of the total expatriates in UAE, ten percent are from Bangladesh. Bangladeshis are involved in 60 to 70 percent cases filed against expatriates of different countries.
“The expatriates’ welfare ministry tried to hold meetings of joint commission but UAE did not respond,” the official said.
However, Bangladesh mission in UAE carried out awareness programmes, the officials said claiming that tendency to commit crimes by Bangladeshi migrants is reducing.
The UAE government earlier proposed signing of two agreements – Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Agreement of Co-operation.
According to the draft, under the first agreement, Bangladeshis sentenced in UAE would be transferred to Bangladesh. At the cost of the government, the sentenced persons would be brought back.
A senior official at the Home Ministry said there are some differences in the first agreement.
The UAE government wants Bangladesh government to bear the cost of bringing the sentenced persons but Bangladesh are not interested.
A four-member delegation led by Home Ministry Additional Secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed is going to UAE to discuss the agreements ahead of the prime minister’s visit. The delegation is scheduled to hold meetings with UAE on October 20 and 21.
“We are going to discuss some issues which are yet to be settled,” the official said preferring not to be named.
Under the second agreement, two countries would cooperate in various areas including anti-terror activities, curbing crimes, preventing illegal arms smuggling, tackling human trafficking, preventing financial crimes and so on.
There is very little differences in this proposed agreement, the Home Ministry official added.
