Will take ties with Bangladesh to a new height: Qatari PM tells Prof Yunus

Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Thursday conveyed to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus that he would designate one of his close aides to take the relationship with Bangladesh to a new height.

The Qatari Prime Minister, one of the most influential leaders in the Middle East, also urged the Bangladesh leader to send a technical team to Qatar to hold discussions on a wide range of cooperation, reports UNB.

Chief Adviser Prof Yunus held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar at his office in Doha and discussed issues of mutual interest.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters after the meeting.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, also the foreign minister of Qatar, expressed his full support for the leadership of the Bangladesh Chief Adviser and he assured him all possible help to rebuild the country.

“We count on your continued leadership,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Professor Yunus, expressing his confidence that Bangladesh would come out of this reform and rebuilding process much stronger in the years to come.

The Chief Adviser sought full diplomatic, financial and investment support for building a New Bangladesh, including creating new opportunities and a prosperous future for the country’s nearly 180 million people, notably its young population.

“We need your support to build the country of the dream of our youth,” Professor Yunus said.

The discussion also centered on the Rohingya crisis, with the Chief Adviser calling for all possible support “to make sure Rohingya people can return home with dignity.”

The Chief Adviser also thanked the Qatari Prime Minister for helping organise a high-level dialogue on the Rohingya crisis on the sidelines of the Earthna Summit.

The Qatari Prime Minister appreciated Bangladesh’s role in hosting more than one million Rohingya refugees in the country.

He called for mobilising more international support to resolve the crisis. He reiterated the continued support of Qatar to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and to sustainable resolution of the issue.

The two leaders also discussed the Gaza situation.

Professor Yunus expressed his regret that much of the world is still silent over the plight of the Gazans. The Prime Minister of Qatar expressed his appreciation of the position of Bangladesh on this issue.

The Bangladesh Chief Adviser also thanked Al Jazeera, which he visited yesterday, for covering the Gaza crisis despite enormous challenges.

The Chief Adviser sought Qatari support for Bangladesh’s female sports athletes, including providing training and building facilities for them.

He invited the Qatari Prime Minister to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time—a request gladly accepted by Sheikh Mohammed.

Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan, National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman, SDGs Afffairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, among others, attended the meeting.