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Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El-Khereiji held talks with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the Bangladeshi capital on August 4. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries along with an exchange of views on current regional and international developments. El-Khereiji used the occasion to convey personal greetings and appreciation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Bangladeshi leadership and people. Rahman in turn asked the Saudi envoy to pass along his own greetings and appreciation to the Crown Prince, the Saudi government and its citizens.
A Saudi Foreign Ministry account of the meeting listed several senior officials who accompanied El-Khereiji to the session with Rahman. Those present included Lt. Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, an adviser to the Minister of Interior, and Ambassador Dr. Mohammed Al-Shammari, the undersecretary for consular affairs. Also attending were Eng. Al-Isa, undersecretary at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and Ambassador Abdullah bin Ubaid, Saudi Arabia’s envoy to Bangladesh. The gathering reflected the breadth of cooperation between Riyadh and Dhaka across security, consular and labor matters.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry account placed the conversation within the broader framework of long-standing relations between the Kingdom and Bangladesh. According to labor statistics compiled by both governments, more than three million Bangladeshi workers currently reside in Saudi Arabia, forming one of the largest expatriate communities in the Kingdom. A report from News of Bahrain noted that Saudi Arabia welcomed a record 750,000 Bangladeshi workers during 2025, marking a 16 percent increase from the previous year and underlining the continued demand for Bangladeshi labor in construction and other sectors aligned with Vision 2030.
Remittances from the Bangladeshi community in Saudi Arabia reached approximately $5 billion annually in recent years, according to updated labor and central bank data from both countries. Bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh stands at roughly $2 billion per year, with Bangladesh exporting goods worth around $310 million to the Kingdom in fiscal year 2024-25. The figures, drawn from trade reviews by the Observatory of Economic Complexity and regional analyses, highlight opportunities for expanded partnership in energy, manpower development and investment that were likely touched upon during the Dhaka meeting.
El-Khereiji’s visit coincides with efforts by Saudi authorities to shift the composition of foreign labor toward higher-skilled categories through programs such as Takamol. A 2026 employment agreement under discussion is expected to generate an additional 300,000 positions, particularly in mining and infrastructure projects tied to the Kingdom’s diversification drive. Bangladeshi officials have repeatedly expressed interest in deepening these labor ties while exploring new avenues for joint ventures in technology and agriculture, topics that routinely surface in high-level bilateral exchanges.
The meeting in Dhaka forms part of a series of Saudi diplomatic engagements across South Asia aimed at reinforcing strategic partnerships. Saudi Arabia maintains active cooperation with Bangladesh on issues ranging from counterterrorism to humanitarian assistance, with both sides coordinating positions in multilateral forums such as the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Further details on specific outcomes from the August 4 discussions were not immediately released by either side.
