UAE issues jt statement on Hasina visit

The UAE has issued a joint statement with Bangladesh on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 1st official visit. Pointing to warm relations, the statement said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited UAE at the invitation of Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. She left Dubai International Airport at 6:15pm on Monday (UAE time) for Dhaka. During the visit, the 2 leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interests. The discussions had been marked by ‘warmth, long-standing friendship and understanding between the 2 people and countries’, according to the statement. It said the 2 leaders emphasised the need for further strengthening relations between the countries. Both sides agreed to cooperate in various fields and expand the scope of the partnership in the fields of trade, business and investment in infrastructure. Hasina and Sheikh Mohammed also agreed to promote cooperative projects in higher education, culture and tourism and cooperation on energy, including renewable energy, climate change and blue economy and security issues. Both sides also agreed to further discuss mobilisation of finance and other UAE projects in Bangladesh. The statement noted that they had also discussed the labour issues between the countries. They concluded Agreement on Security Cooperation, Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TSP) and Agreement on Allotment of a Plot for the UAE Embassy in Dhaka. With regards to peace and security, the 2 sides discussed the situations in the Middle East and underscored the need for maintaining peace and stability for sustainable development of the region. Hasina and Sheikh Mohammed also expressed deep concern about the growing phenomenon of terrorism and stressed the importance of combating it including ISIS, according to a statement by the foreign ministry in Dhaka. The two sides acknowledged with deep reverence the contributions of Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and founding father of the UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan for laying the foundation of the excellent relations. Hasina has invited Sheikh Mohammed to visit Bangladesh, which he accepted and said that the dates would be decided through mutual consultations, according to a news agency.