Staff Correspondent

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday urged Qatar to invest more in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh will welcome investments in various sectors including in state-led food supply chains from production to consumption such as agro-production and processing, food packaging, smart agriculture and fertiliser production," he said

He made this call during a courtesy meeting with the visiting Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at Bangabhaban.

President's press secretary Joynal Abedin briefed reporters after the meeting.

Acknowledging Qatar as a valuable development partner of Bangladesh in the Gulf region, the president said the emir's visit and the signing of the cooperation documents - five agreements and five MoUs- between the two countries will further expand and strengthen bilateral co-operation in the days to come.

The president said Bangladesh government has established 100 Special Economic Zones for foreign investment.

"Qatari investors can get massive incentives and support in sectors like petro-chemicals, energy, machineries, information technology, electronics, ceramics, agri-business, food processing in Bangladesh," he also said.

Expressing his gratitude to the Qatar government for providing employment opportunities to about 3.75 lakh Bangladeshis, president Shahabuddin said this manpower is constantly contributing to the socio-economic development of both Qatar and Bangladesh.

Besides, the president urged the emir of Qatar to recruit more young, skilled and semi-skilled manpower, IT experts, and professional technicians from Bangladesh.

The president also thanked the Qatari government for supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh and sought long-term energy assistance from the country.

He also stressed the need for playing more effective role by the two sides in exploring trade and business potentials.

The president praised Qatar's efforts (along with Egypt and the US) to facilitate the ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas.

The emir of Qatar praised the socio-economic development of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He assured that all necessary assistance will continue for Bangladesh in the coming days.

The emir of Qatar said that the various agreements and MoUs signed by Qatar and Bangladesh will play more effective role in the development of bilateral and multi-lateral relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, both the president and the emit exchanged greetings.

They hoped that the visit will pave the way for further strengthening the multi-faceted partnership between Bangladesh and Qatar.

In the meeting, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, foreign secretary and secretaries to the president were present.

After the meeting, the emir took part in a photo session and signed the visitor's book kept there.