DHAKA: Bangladesh plans to take advantage of the chances of cooperation with the Gulf nations, specializing in vitality and meals safety, after a latest settlement on future partnerships with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Dhaka and the GCC – an intergovernmental financial union of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – signed a memorandum establishing a framework for cooperation on 18 November.
The settlement was signed on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue regional safety convention in Bahrain by Bangladesh International Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and GCC Secretary Basic Dr Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf.
“Power cooperation is one in all our precedence points, which might be mentioned through the joint session. As well as, fostering political cooperation can even be a precedence space,” Iqbal Hussain Khan, director-general of West Asia on the Bangladesh Ministry of International Affairs, advised Arab Information over the weekend.
He added that because the Gulf nations have lately centered on making certain meals safety, Bangladesh – a significant exporter of seafood and greens – can even attempt to establish potential areas of cooperation within the sector.
“We are going to sit with the GCC authorities to element the areas of cooperation and set the roadmap as quickly as doable, which is handy for either side,” Khan mentioned.
“We now have an enormous potential to spice up cooperation with the Gulf nations, as regional organizations are actually turning into stronger.”
Extra particulars and particular proposals are anticipated to be introduced after the upcoming discussions between the Bangladesh authorities and the GCC.
“Let the talks start first. Very quickly we’ll contact the CCG to begin the primary spherical of discussions,” added Khan.
Cooperation is probably going to assist Bangladesh in vitality safety.
Bangladesh, which depends upon imported liquefied pure fuel, has been going through an vitality disaster for the previous two months. In early October, about 80 p.c of its 168 million residents had been left with out electrical energy after a grid failure that occurred when greater than a 3rd of the nation’s gas-fired models ran out of gasoline.
“Power safety is one other essential space of cooperation for Bangladesh. Via a long-term association, throughout bilateral commerce talks for a preferential commerce settlement or a free commerce settlement, we have to embrace the oil provide points that should be secured,” mentioned Zahid Hussain, former senior economist on the World Financial institution in Dhaka , for Arab Information.
He added that future cooperation would additionally profit Bangladeshi migrant staff – 90 p.c of whom dwell and work in GCC nations.
“Within the case of migrant labor exports, cooperation between GCC nations might be crucial. We have to work to cut back the price of migration in addition to enhance office security, job safety and guarantee earnings safety,” he mentioned.
“In the long term, it should additionally profit the GCC nations as a result of in addition they want migrant staff from this area.”
