Media Celebrates HH the Amir’s Visit to Bangladesh, Signaling New Phase of Bilateral Partnership

Doha: Amidst a warm welcome and significant appreciation of the Asian tour and its outcomes, Bangladeshi media highlighted the tour of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to several Asian countries, commencing with visits to the Philippines then Bangladesh, and concluding in Nepal. This tour aims to bolster Qatar's relations and strategic partnerships with Asian countries, manifested through the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding in various fields. Bangladeshi media expressed great interest and closely followed the visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Dhaka, considering it a turning point in the bilateral relations between the two countries, signaling the beginning of a new phase in their bilateral partnership. In this context, a report by The Business Standard, a Bangladeshi newspaper, mentioned that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's visit to Bangladesh is a result of a visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Doha in May 2023. During that visit, she participated in the Qatar Economic Forum and engaged in crucial bilateral discussions. The report, titled "The Upcoming Visit of the Amir of Qatar to Bangladesh: Ushering in a new chapter in bilateral partnership," by Nahim Razzaq, a Bangladeshi Member of Parliament, stated that recent developments signal a growing partnership between Bangladesh and Qatar, with the foundation laid for enhancing cooperation between the two countries through the signing of a long-term agreement for liquefied natural gas imports in June 2023. He pointed out that the positive development in relations between the two countries was driven by Qatar's commitment to supporting the media industry in Bangladesh at the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers in February 2024, along with other discussions that included military cooperation at the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition in March 2024. The report highlighted significant progress in various areas of Bangladesh-Qatar relations, surpassing the traditional economic dimension limited to oil and financial transfers. It noted that both countries' leadership successfully transformed their relations into deep strategic ties, exemplified by Qatar's commitment to exporting an additional 1.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually to Bangladesh over the next 15 years. This agreement aims to address the energy generation supply shortfall in Bangladesh, highlighting Qatar's importance as a reliable energy partner for Bangladesh. The report underscored the substantial importance of the visit for both Bangladesh and Qatar, indicating a new phase in their bilateral partnership. It demonstrated the commitment of both leaderships to enhancing bilateral relations and supporting cooperation across various sectors. In turn, the Bangladesh Post showed keen interest in the visit of HH the Amir to Bangladesh, as reported in an article titled "Bangladesh Rolls Out Red Carpet for Qatar Amir." The paper said that the visit focused on various agreements concerning combating tax evasion , legal cooperation, maritime transport, as well as the development and protection of mutual investments, and the establishment of a joint business council. Several Bangladeshi TV channels provided extensive coverage of HH the Amir's visit to Dhaka, with the United News of Bangladesh agency reporting that Qatar and Bangladesh signed 11 cooperation documents, including six agreements and five memoranda of understanding. The agency, in a report titled "Bangladesh and Qatar Sign 6 Agreements and 5 Memoranda of Understanding During the Official Visit of the Amir of Qatar," stated that the agreements covered areas such as double taxation avoidance, tax evasion, legal affairs cooperation, mutual investment promotion and protection, maritime transport services, and the formation of a joint business council. Additionally, the five memoranda of understanding were signed in areas of cooperation including the workforce sector, port management, higher education and research, youth and sports cooperation, and diplomatic training. "With this visit, the relations between Bangladesh and Qatar will reach a new height. This is the first-ever high level visit from any country of the Middle East after the formation of a new government in January this year," the report quoted Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud as saying. Furthermore, in addition to bilateral cooperation areas, global issues were also discussed, including the Israeli war on Gaza, with Bangladesh highlighting its stance. Dr. Hasan Mahmud emphasized, "Naturally, this discussion can come up. Killings in Gaza should be stopped. Everyone wants it. We want it." Qatar, a country rich in petroleum and natural gas with the highest average per capita income, is considered an influential country in the Middle East due to its strong economy, geopolitical position and diplomatic activity and mediation, said the foreign minister. He pointed out that recently the areas of trade, investment and employment creation, energy, aviation, agriculture, food security, climate change, etc. have been identified to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation through diplomatic communication and discussions at various levels with Qatar. In a related context, the Bangladesh Post stated that Dhaka seeks to increase Qatari investments in Bangladesh and provide all possible trade benefits to the country, including allocating lands in special economic zones in Bangladesh. Additionally, according to sources from the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry, Dhaka has invited Doha to import leather goods, pharmaceutical products, and ready-made garments from Bangladesh. Source: Qatar News Agency