By Mir Afroz Zaman

In the past, Saudi Arabia sent gifts of dates to 93 countries in the world. This date distribution program was implemented as part of Saudi King Mohammed Salman's gift program on the occasion of Ramadan. Today (Tuesday), Ambassador Isa Bin Yusuf Al Duhailan of the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka officially handed over 75 tons of dates to the Ministry of Relief. Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Relief were present at this time.

In a short speech, Saudi Ambassador Isa bin Yusuf Al Duhailan said, Saudi Arabia will always be by Bangladesh's side. He said, Saudi-Bangladesh has a deep and great relationship based on the solid foundation of religious, cultural, economic and humanitarian relations.

Isa bin Yusuf Al Duhailan said that Saudi-Bangladesh relations have become stronger after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Saudi Arabia and meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia in 2016.

The ambassador said, besides, Saudi companies are also showing sincere interest to invest in Bangladesh in various sectors due to peace, political stability, rules and regulations and good incentives. It will help take bilateral relations to new heights and at the same time help Bangladesh government achieve its dream of reaching the list of developing countries by 2026.

He said that Bangladesh attaches great importance to Saudi Arabia, which has contributed to the quality of life and socio-economic development of Bangladesh.

On the other hand, about 2.6 million Bangladeshis are working in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh's largest foreign labor market. They send over $3.5 billion in remittances every year.

He also said that Saudi has made a great contribution to improve the quality of life of the people of this country. Many districts of Bangladesh are located in coastal areas, which face natural disasters, floods and cyclones every year. Saudi Arabia has supported various projects including the construction of houses, schools, mosques, orphanages, shelters, hospitals and bridges and power plants. This cooperation will continue in the coming days.