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Bangladesh and UAE are working together to take bilateral ties to new heights

Over the years, bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the UAE have grown in depth and dimension

Forty-six years ago, on March 26, 1971, the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh an independent and sovereign country. The country became free on December 16, 1971 after a nine-month war that saw bloodbath and enormous sacrifice of the people of Bangladesh. It is an interesting coincidence that on that very month, on December 2, 1971, the United Arab Emirates was established under the able leadership of the UAE's founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Both the countries thus started their independent statehood at the same time with the same aspiration for peace, progress, social justice and development.

The UAE was the first Gulf country to recognise Bangladesh and establish diplomatic relations. Bangladesh opened its embassy in Abu Dhabi on March 23, 1974. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman even visited the UAE in 1974 and held a historic meeting with the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This laid the foundation of the relations between the two countries based on shared faith, history, culture and traditions. The Bangladesh Consulate General in Dubai was opened in July 1980.

There has always been an exchange of visits at the highest level between Bangladesh and the UAE. The most important one from the UAE was the historic visit of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1984, when he stayed in Bangladesh for 10 days. This significantly boosted Bangladesh's relations with the UAE. As a sign of love, respect and friendship of the people of Bangladesh, Sheikh Zayed was then gifted a piece of land near the panoramic coastal city of Chittagong, in the south of Bangladesh.

Over the years, bilateral relations have grown in depth and dimensions. This is evident from the widening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in areas such as economic, trade, investment, employment of Bangladeshi manpower, education, tourism, and culture.

The two countries are also working closely in different international and regional areas. In recent years, the relations between Bangladesh and the Gulf countries, particularly with the UAE, figures prominently in Bangladesh's foreign policy. As members of the United Nations, OIC and other international forums, Bangladesh has convergence of views on major regional and international issues. Both Bangladesh and the UAE are committed to maintaining international and regional peace, security and development, and they have supported each other's candidature in different world bodies and worked together on various issues of mutual interest on numerous occasions.

Bangladesh has extended unilateral Visa on Arrival (VOA) facilities to the citizens of the UAE. This enables any UAE passport holder (regular, official/ service or diplomatic) to travel to Bangladesh without prior visa as VOA would be issued at immigration counters at all the international airports and land ports.

All these have contributed to establishing a solid foundation for the political relations between the two countries

Boosting trade

Bangladesh concluded a General Trade Agreement with the UAE in 1984 and since then, the trade between the two countries has grown steadily. The two-way trade has significantly increased in the recent years and reached nearly $1 billion in recent years.

The principal exports of Bangladesh to the UAE are readymade garments, woven and knitwear, vegetables, frozen fish, jute yarn and twine, home textiles and textile fabrics, fruit juice, tea in packets, terry towels, spices, stainless steel ware, PVC bags, melamine tableware, biscuit, electronics, cables, jute products etc.

Bangladesh's import from the UAE includes fuel, mineral oil and products of their distillation, chemicals including fertiliser, bitumen etc. ADNOC and its subsidiary companies are providing Bangladesh crude oil and refined petroleum products. Some vegetable products, plastic articles, cotton and cotton yarn/ thread/ fabrics, iron / steel and its products, electrical machinery and equipments etc. are also re-exported from UAE to Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi companies have regularly been participating in Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX), Gulf Food, Textile fair, Autumn fair and Dubai Shopping Festival etc.

To boost up further economic cooperation between the UAE and Bangladesh, two trade and investment agreements, the agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Fiscal Evasion with respect to tax on income and an agreement on Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment, and a memorandum of understanding between respective federation of chambers of the two countries were signed in January 2011. The agreements had a positive impact on investment promotion, economic cooperation and trade development between the UAE and Bangladesh.

To create a platform for Bangladeshi business community and to establish business network to exchange business information, ideas and views among other business bodies, the Bangladesh Business Council has been formed and registered in the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

There is also a Joint Economic Commission between Bangladesh and the UAE. Regular sessions are held alternately in the two capitals.

Cultural cooperation

Bangladesh and the UAE signed a cultural cooperation agreement in March 1978 and this has provided a broad foundation for cultural activities. Bangladesh Embassy frequently takes initiatives to project Bangladesh's rich art and culture in the UAE through various cultural activities like the visit of a cultural troupe, movie screenings and art exhibition. Bangladeshi artists used to participate in the Sharjah Biennial and are invited regularly to participate in the national day celebrations of the UAE when they perform in various cities throughout the country.

A large number of the UAE nationals visit Bangladesh every year to attend the second largest Islamic religious congregation held in Tongi, Dhaka. Carriers from the UAE namely Emirates, Etihad and Air Arabia and Biman Bangladesh Airlines operate 40-50 direct weekly flights between the two countries.

Bangladeshi manpower in the UAE

People of Bangladesh started coming to this region before the 1970s in connection with trade, business and even for tourism. Bangladeshi community began to grow in the UAE after mid-seventies when the country's economy flourished from oil revenue. A group of engineers first came to this land with jobs in the oil and gas, electricity and water sectors in the mid-seventies. Some started business in the construction, trading and other sectors.

A reputed Bangladeshi company, the Bengal Development Corporation, was one of the first construction companies which constructed the 250 km highway starting from the Saudi- UAE border in the western region of Abu Dhabi and also later built 5,000 prefabricated low cost housing units in Abu Dhabi in Bani Yas/ Al Wathba and Al Ain areas in 1970s and 1980s. These projects were one of the earliest modern infrastructures of the emirate.

A significant number of Bangladeshis have been working in the UAE and they are contributing immensely to the economies of both the countries. Bangladeshi workforce is employed in a variety of areas, both skilled and semi-skilled, in electro-mechanical, hospitality sector, construction sector, and driving and municipal services. Many are engaged in business. Major business categories include small grocery shops to supermarkets/ hypermarkets, big construction companies and large perfume manufacturing companies, auto-electric group, automobile garage/ workshops, and spare parts and building materials shops. Some doctors are running polyclinic and engineers are managing construction companies. Yet others are doing business in garments and textiles, restaurants, travel and tourism.

The relations between Bangladesh and the UAE are deeply rooted in shared history, faith and traditions, and are based on trust and confidence in each other. With continuous interaction between the governments and people in various fields, it is becoming multi-dimensional. There are ample opportunities to further expand and consolidate the relations. Both Bangladesh and the UAE are committed and look forward to working together to take the relations to a new height and trajectory.