Qatar keen to boost friendly ties with Bangladesh, says its PM

Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Tuesday said his country is keen to strengthen its friendly relations with Bangladesh.

He said this at a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held at the bilateral meeting room of Raffles Tower here in Doha.

During the meeting, the Qatari PM told Hasina that they (Qatar) are a true friend of Bangladesh and want to take the relation with the country forward further, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at a press briefing.

The Qatari premier praised Hasina for bringing stability in Bangladesh.

PM Hasina said Bangladesh procures a huge amount of energy from Qatar. “We want you to assist us over energy,” she was quoted as telling her counterpart.

In reply, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said Qatar would do as much as possible for Bangladesh.

About the fear of losing jobs among Bangladeshi workers in Qatar after the FIFA World Cup 2023, the Qatari PM said Bangladeshi workers are their assets and friends and Qatar will keep them as much as possible in their country.

Later, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi called on the Bangladesh Prime Minister at the latter’s place of residence.

In the meeting, the issue of signing a fresh contract over the supply of additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh in future came up for discussion.

PM Hasina called for signing the new contract as soon as possible to procure a larger amount of energy from Qatar, said Momen at the press briefing.

The existing 15-year agreement signed in 2017 to import LNG from Qatar will be effective till 2032, but it needs to sign a new contract to get the larger amount of energy after 2025, he said.

Momen said the Bangladesh PM asked to sign the contract immediately, fixing the pricing related problems.

Describing Bangladesh as a friendly country that stood with Qatar in their tough days, they (Qatar) promised that they would consider all sorts of concessions whatever possible for Qatar during signing the contract.

Besides, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with President of Rwanda Paul Kagame on the sidelines of Qatar Economic Forum at Raffles Tower.

During the meeting, Kagame told Sheikh Hasina that he always hears the development story of Bangladesh and he wants to visit Bangladesh. “We are very proud of Bangladesh,” he was quoted as saying by Momen.

“Bangladesh is a very densely populated country and you (Sheikh Hasina) are governing the country very well. I want to see it,” the President of Rwanda was quoted as saying.

In reply, the Premier invited Kagame to visit Bangladesh.

Paul Kagame said he wants to establish air connectivity between Bangladesh and Rwanda.

Referring to the recent opening of a pharmaceutical factory by a Bangladeshi company in Rwanda, the president invited more Bangladeshi investment in different sectors in his country.

Hasina praised Kagame, saying that Rwanda is in a very good position in Africa due to his good leadership.

She told Kagame that the Ukraine-Russia war has created difficulties and sent warnings to countries like Bangladesh and Rwanda. “We can overcome such type of situation if we cooperate with each other,” she said.

Kagame appreciated Hasina’s remark saying that it is high time to strengthen the cooperation.