HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's visit to the People's Republic of Bangladesh is all-important and comes "at a time when Bangladesh and Qatar are experiencing one of the best times of their bilateral relations", said HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Dr. Hasan Mahmud. Speaking to Qatar News Agency , His Excellency added that Bangladesh is approaching this visit with utmost significance, especially since this is HH the Amir's first state visit to Dhaka, and this why officials are keen for it to be successful by all standards.. adding: "We are confident that this visit will bring Bangladesh and Qatar closer than ever." His Excellency added: "We regard our relations with Qatar a key one. There has been a steady growth of bilateral, manpower, energy, aviation, trade and defense cooperation between our countries", His Excellency said, hailing Qatar's great contribution to the energy sector by being the biggest supplier of LNG for Bangladesh. His Excellency added that "Bangladesh and Qata r enjoy visa free regimes in Diplomatic and Official passports, which demonstrate the level of warmth and trust between the countries". He said: "Our relations with Qatar are friendly and growing steadily." His Excellency said that the field of manpower is one of the most important areas of bilateral cooperation since the seventies of the last century. "Qatar has attracted more than 800,000 Bangladeshi workers since 1970s to be the fifth largest destination for Bangladeshi workers. Qatar now hosts around 3,50,000 Bangladeshi expatriate workers who boost economic prosperity in the homeland through remittance earnings," His Excellency said. HE Dr. Hasan Mahmud expressed his pride in Bangladeshi citizens' contribution to the growth and development of Qatar through their "hard work and dedication", extending thanks to the State of Qatar for its care for the Bangladeshi community and its appreciation for its continued contributions to development. Commenting on the great prospects of boosting the development and growth of bilateral relations given the fast growing cooperation in areas of trade, defense, His Excellency pointed out that Dhaka aspires to "elevate the status of the relationship to Comprehensive Economic Partnership". "Our other priorities are food security, environment, health, legal and consular matters. We see that we can embark into mutually beneficial collaboration in those field and we are on the process of signing a number of Agreements/MoUs aiming at this," His Excellency said. Bangladeshs strong desire and willingness to upgrade multi-sector bilateral ties with Qatar, His Excellency added, is clearly manifested in HE Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasinas two consecutive visits to Qatar in 2023 and her bilateral meetings with HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. "The highest-level visit exchanges always create opportunities to advance Bangladesh-Qatar relations. This is the pr incipal mechanism where both countries can participate in varied conversation on multiple sectors". His Excellency added that the two countries are capitalizing on effective mechanisms like the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), Joint working Group (JWG) on Manpower and the Joint Committee on Investment. These mechanisms serve as "long-term frameworks of greater cooperation in political, economic, energy, security, and human resource fields," His Excellency added. All these mechanisms support bilateral cooperation in areas of manpower, trade, energy and food security, and boost Qatari investment in SEZs and Hi-tech Parks of Bangladesh, leading to a true partnership, especially at the economic level, His Excellency added. Commenting on Qatars proactive and globally-recognized mediation efforts, His Excellency said that "Qatar has always demonstrated its soft power and proved its presence as a major and important player in the Middle East region". "It has always used its regional influence and diplomatic le verage by mediating conflicts, which has been globally recognized and widely appreciated. We all are aware of Qatars successful track record of mediations. "The war in Gaza has spotlighted the high-profile efforts of Qatar to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas and to negotiate deals to free hostages as well as evacuate foreign nationals from Gaza". His Excellency expressed his countrys appreciation for Qatars pragmatic and practical approach to global politics and its efforts and influence in mediating the Palestine cause.. We will be following closely and hoping for progress in this intensified diplomacy. HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Dr. Hasan Mahmud expressed his country's appreciation to Qatar for assuming its responsibilities towards better development in the world and for its positive role and influence in global politics, saying: "Doha has become the hub of international conferences which reflect the Qatari decision makers' will to make substantial contribution towards global pe ace and stability." He added that this role played by Doha in the field of global politics shows the confidence of all other countries in the State of Qatar and in its directions to achieve global harmony. "It has become the hub of global negotiations and peaceful exchanges. We are very happy that a friendly state like Qatar is the center of reaching common global understandings." In the same context, His Excellency hailed Qatar's investments of its resources for internal and global development and developing countries, especially the LDCs. He also commended Doha's strong advocacy for strengthening the Islamic ummah. Moving on to Bangladesh's strategies to achieve its Vision 2041, His Excellency noted the efforts of the incumbent government led by HE Sheikh Hasina to build an equality and justice-based democratic country through public welfare-oriented and well-coordinated activities in the existing reality. "For achieving this, our priority lies with increased remittances from our overseas workers, ensu ring energy security and shift to renewable energy, more trade with foreign countries and attracting increased foreign investments and cooperation for the emerging areas of Blue Economy, ICT, food security and combatting adverse impacts of climate change," His Excellency said. His Excellency added that Dhaka has the closest relations with GCC countries thanks to the shared religious traditions, long historical bond and people-to-people ties. "This region is the preferred destination of our people 55% of our total overseas workforce is employed in GCC countries, generating 60% of our remittance inflow exceeding USD 11-12 billion annually. "We have traded around USD 6.96 billion with GCC countries in FY 2022-23. A significant percentage of our energy imports come from the GCC countries, which has kept the economy running". HE the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh stressed that his country's historical and religious connection with the Middle East prompts it to strengthen its relations with the regio n. "I feel that our future is intertwined with this region of the world," he said. Speaking about the ongoing unrest in the Middle East region, His Excellency highlighted Israel's genocidal war against Gaza, ignoring global consensus and condemnation. His Excellency stressed that the region will not know peace and stability without the Palestinians obtaining their rights, and that there will be no peace in the world without peace in the Middle East. His Excellency called on the international community to rein in the Middle East conflict and create a violence-free common future in the region. Source: Qatar News Agency