Bangladeshi envoys in Middle-eastern countries asked to ensure migrants' welfare

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has instructed Bangladeshi envoys in nine Middle Eastern countries to do the needful in mitigating the plight of migrant workers.

In a videoconference with ambassadors and heads of missions in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan on Thursday, the minister described the Bangladeshi workers as remittance fighters and directed the envoys to try to find alternative employment for them, according to the Foreign Ministry.

In this regard, Dr Momen mentioned that the workers who might lose their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic could be employed in such sectors as agriculture and fishing.

Bangladeshi workers could be very resourceful with regard to meeting the demand for food across the globe in a post-Covid-19 world, he said.

Terming the pandemic a huge warlike situation, the minister asked the envoys to make sure that Bangladeshi workers did not go hungry.

Bangladeshi workers directly contributed to the development of their host countries, he said, instructing the envoys to expend efforts towards ensuring salaries and benefits for six months if the workers lost their jobs.

In order to ensure quarantine facilities for them, workers willing to return homes would be brought back in phases, said Dr Momen.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were present on the occasion.