Foreign Minister discussed expatriate workers’ issues with the UAE Foreign Minister

USA NEWS: Foreign Minister Dipu Moni spent a busy day on the second day of her visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Her major meetings of 20 September included a bilateral meeting with her counterpart from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. After exchange of usual pleasantries, both the Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction at the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and UAE. The Foreign Minister appreciated the spectacular development of the UAE and it’s leading role in the Middle East and international arena. She also updated the UAE Foreign Minister about the ongoing development activities of the present government, namely efforts to build a “Digital Bangladesh” for accelerating progress to a modern and developed Bangladesh by 2021.

Highlighting that workers from Bangladesh are law abiding, hard working and respectful of local laws, customs, values and tradition, the Foreign Minister drew the attention of her counterpart to the problems being faced by the 800,000 Bangladeshi workers, who form the third largest community in the UAE. In reply the UAE Foreign Minister conveyed the recent efforts of the UAE government to mitigate the suffering of our workers. The UAE Foreign Minister in particular informed that according to a new law adopted in his country, no passport of the workers can now be held back with their company owners. He assured the Foreign Minister that their government would try to look into the interest of the migrant workers of Bangladesh. The Foreign Minister invited UAE to invest in power sector also. She also showed interest of our government to import fertilizer from UAE.

Prior to holding this bilateral meeting, the Foreign Minister accompanied the Prime Minister in the “Round Table 1” on “Addressing the Challenge of poverty, hunger and gender equality”, an event held on the sideline of the UN General Assembly. The round table was co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the President Abdullah Gul of Turkey.

 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Foreign Minister attended a reception hosted by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton for the women Heads of State, Government and Foreign Ministers in the afternoon.

In the evening the Foreign Minister attended the High Level Plenary Meeting on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the General Assembly, where our Prime Minister delivered her insightful speech on the progress achieved by Bangladesh on MDGs and sought support and cooperation of the developed countries to fulfill the UN MDGs by 2015.

In the evening the Foreign Minister also attended the Important Dinner for Women-5, jointly hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan, Wendy Murdoch and Indra Nooyi, the CEO of Pepsico.