DHAKA, Sept 27, 2023 (BSS) - State minister for foreign affairs has expressed 
Dhaka's eagerness to further elevate the excellent fraternal relations 
between Bangladesh and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to new heights. 

He also expressed satisfaction with the increasing engagement in new and 
emerging areas of collaboration and the frequency of high-level visits 
between the two countries. 

The state minister made the remark while spoke as the guest of honor at the 
Saudi Arabian 93rd national day reception hosted by the Royal Saudi Embassy 
in the capital on Tuesday evening.

Prime minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman 
joined as the chief guest. 

In his speech, Alam described the bilateral relationship as an age-old and 
trusted partnership based on a deep understanding and close cooperation in 
various bilateral and multilateral sectors. 

He recalled the recent productive meetings between Prime Minister Sheikh 
Hasina and the Saudi Crown Prince this year. 

The state minister expressed gratitude to the Kingdom for hosting 2.8 million 
workers who are contributing to the economies of both countries. 

He commended the Ambassador for his dynamic role in enhancing manpower 
cooperation, including signing the Workers' Recruitment and Skill 
Verification Programme (SVP) for Bangladeshi workforce. 

Alam expressed hope that the Kingdom will recruit skilled Bangladeshi workers 
through this framework agreement while continuing to recruit unskilled 
workers as well.

The state minister also appreciated Saudi Arabia's commitment to diplomacy 
and dialogue in achieving regional stability, including finding a political 
solution to the Yemen crisis, and expressed unequivocal support for the 
Middle East peace process. 

He further commended Saudi Arabia for its increasing global influence and its 
recent accession to BRICS.