Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Thursday highly appreciated Bangladesh’s tremendous development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and stressed the need for continuity of her (Sheikh Hasina) government.
“If the continuity of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is maintained, the relations between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh will be further improved and development will be made on all sides,” Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque quoted the king while briefing reporters after the King’s meeting with the prime minister here this afternoon.
The meeting was held in a warm and cordial environment and the king himself welcomed the prime minister at the entrance of the Royal Palace, he said.
Salman told Hasina: “it’s your home and you are always welcome here.”
The king said Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh are brotherly countries and besides the religion, “we are tied up in many things.”
He said the ties between the two countries have improved a lot and mentioned that there are scopes to further strengthen the collaboration in the fields of economy, culture, and defence and security.
“We are jointly fighting against terrorism,” the king said and hoped that it will continue, adding that it was the reflection of common aspiration of the people of the two brotherly countries.
When Prime Minister Hasina proposed boosting cooperation in different sectors including defence, the Saudi king termed those proposals as appropriate.
“We will take steps in this regard after discussion at the official level,” the king said.
The prime minister said a huge number of Bangladeshis are working in Saudi Arabia and thanked the Saudi government for looking after them. King Salman said the Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia are making huge contributions to the Saudi economy.
“It is my responsibility to look after them,” he said.
The prime minister invited the Saudi king to visit Bangladesh.
The foreign secretary said King Salman accepted the invitation and said: “We will work it out at the diplomatic level.”
He said the king highly appreciated Bangladesh’s role in supporting the rights of the Palestinians.
“Bangladesh always fights on the question of the Muslim Ummah, especially on the Palestine issue. Bangladesh’s position is always honourable on this issue and we are very much grateful for it,” Salman said.
