PM to visit five key countries, including US

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to visit five countries of key diplomatic importance to Bangladesh as Dhaka seeks to strengthen bilateral ties, attract investment and advance national interests.

The planned destinations are New York in the United States, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Doha in Qatar, Tokyo in Japan and Antalya in Türkiye.

A senior government official involved in preparations said the countries are important partners for Bangladesh and the government wants to engage more closely with them to safeguard national interests.

The prime minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New York in the third week of September to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He is also expected to attend the World Leaders’ Summit of COP31 in Antalya on November 11-12.

The government is working to finalise suitable dates for the other three visits, a political source said. The planned trips are also in line with the BNP’s election manifesto, which pledged to maintain strong relations with Gulf, Muslim and East Asian countries.

“Bangladesh wants to maintain good relations with the Gulf, Muslim and East Asian countries. The prime minister has already visited Malaysia and China,” the source said.

Saudi Arabia and Japan have already invited the prime minister for bilateral visits, while Bangladesh and Qatar have close personal ties between their top leaderships, making it possible to arrange a Doha visit at short notice, sources said.

The BNP manifesto pledged to develop strategic partnerships with member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with the aim of combining Gulf surplus capital with Bangladesh’s productive capacity and human resources.

Such partnerships are expected to expand cooperation in food security, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and the defence industry and training, according to the manifesto.

It also pledged to deepen ties with Middle Eastern countries and the wider Muslim world, building on the BNP’s longstanding relations with the region.

The planned visits come as Bangladesh faces domestic challenges in employment generation, energy and food security and industrialisation, increasing the need for foreign assistance, investment and cooperation.

Saudi Arabia is particularly important because nearly four million Bangladeshis live and work there and send billions of dollars in remittances home. Saudi investors have also shown growing interest in Bangladesh.

Saudi company Red Sea Gateway has agreed to invest $170 million and operate the Patenga Container Terminal at Chattogram Port.

Bangladesh also imports liquefied natural gas from Qatar and has a sizeable expatriate workforce in the country. Dhaka is seeking increased Qatari investment.

Japan, meanwhile, is Bangladesh’s largest development partner and has supported major infrastructure projects, including the Dhaka metro rail system and the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

“Saudi Arabia, Japan and Qatar are three highly important development partners for Bangladesh. Bangladesh has many interests linked to these countries,” a Foreign Ministry official said.

He said Dhaka hopes to build stronger strategic partnerships with the three countries to help address domestic challenges and achieve its national goals.