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Bangladesh has pledged to facilitate visa procedures for Palestinian students seeking higher education in the country, Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said during a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef S.Y. Ramadan on Thursday.
The envoy paid a courtesy call on the Home Minister at his office at the Bangladesh Secretariat, where the two sides held discussions in a cordial atmosphere on law and order, security cooperation, easing visa procedures for Palestinian students, and other issues of mutual interest.
During the meeting, Salahuddin Ahmed reaffirmed Bangladesh’s longstanding support for the Palestinian people’s struggle for independence and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.
He said Bangladesh has consistently stood by Palestine on both moral and policy grounds, recalling that former President Ziaur Rahman had played a strong and memorable role in mobilising international diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause.
“Our principled and moral support for Palestine will always continue,” he said.
The Palestinian ambassador noted that a large number of Palestinian students are pursuing higher education at public and private educational institutions in Bangladesh.
He requested special assistance in facilitating visa-on-arrival arrangements to ensure their smooth entry and continuation of studies.
In response, the adviser immediately instructed relevant ministry officials to extend full cooperation on the matter. He also requested the ambassador to send a formal letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ambassador also requested that whenever Palestinian citizens or students apply for Bangladeshi visas through Bangladesh missions in the Middle East, copies of their applications be forwarded to the Palestinian Embassy in Dhaka for verification.
Responding to the request, Salahuddin Ahmed said, “As a brotherly Muslim nation, we love and trust Palestine from the depths of our hearts. Bangladesh is always ready to extend every possible support for the welfare of the Palestinian people.”
Addressing the issue of online misinformation, the adviser said Bangladesh is a progressive and moderate Muslim-majority country, and any attempt to tarnish its international image through false narratives on social media would be dealt with firmly.
He said those involved in cybercrimes and disinformation campaigns would be swiftly identified through proper investigations and brought to justice.
At the beginning of the meeting, the adviser welcomed the Palestinian ambassador, who congratulated him on assuming his new portfolio and wished him success in his responsibilities.
Also present at the meeting were Deputy Secretary of the Political-1 Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs Begum Minara Nazmeen, Acting Director for West Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hasan Parag, and First Secretary of the Palestinian Embassy in Dhaka Noor H.O. Alaidi, among others.
