Bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh are progressing at a firm and steady pace toward broad horizons of cooperation and fruitful partnerships.
The two countries, which have established diplomatic relations since the 1970s, are linked by deep and rooted fraternal ties, nourished by common history, culture, religion, and values.
Relations between the two countries have witnessed remarkable development in recent years through mutual visits at various levels, and have also witnessed fruitful cooperation in all fields, which reflects the keenness of the leadership of the two countries to develop these relations and advance them into strategic partnerships and further progress and prosperity.
Within the framework of the keenness to strengthen bilateral relations, the official visit carried out by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh comes as part of His Highness’s Asian tour. During the visit, H H the Amir will meet with President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh H E Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister H E Sheikh Hasina Wazed to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them and move them to advanced stages of fruitful strategic partnerships in a way that serves the interests and aspirations of the two countries and their friendly peoples.
Diplomatic relations between the State of Qatar and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh date back to the 1970s. The State of Qatar opened its embassy in Dhaka on 1/15/1980, while the Bangladesh embassy opened in Doha on 12/29/1981.
Cooperation between the two countries includes a wide range of fields, including economic, artistic, commercial, investment, and the employment of the Bangladeshi workforce in Qatar, in addition to cooperation in the fields of education, tourism, culture, sports, and human resources development.
To achieve greater cooperation between the two countries, HE Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wazed visited Doha in May 2023 to participate in the 3rd edition of the Qatar Economic Forum, where she was received at the Amiri Diwan by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. During the meeting, they discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them, in addition to a number of issues of common interest.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani also met with HE Sheikh Hasina Wazed on the sidelines of the 3rd Qatar Economic Forum.
During the meeting, they discussed bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them, especially in the field of energy and joint work in the technology sector. They also discussed a number of topics of common interest.
In her speech before the Potential of Trade and Investment in Bangladesh Forum, held in Doha in March 2023, with the participation of the Qatar Chamber (QC), the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA), and the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), HE Sheikh Hasina Wazed called on Qatari businesspersons and investors to invest in Bangladesh. She indicated that Bangladesh offers tremendous incentives and facilities for investors, affirming the strong performance of the Bangladeshi economy and the significant growth of the GDP despite the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy.
On his part, QBA Chairman H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani said that the forum represented an opportunity to learn about the investment opportunities available in Bangladesh. He also stressed that Qatari businesspersons are keen to enhance the investment and partnership relations with companies in the countries with which the State of Qatar has extended and strong relations, indicating that the agricultural, industrial, and tourism sectors are always a priority.
In March 2023, QFC took part in the Bangladesh Investment Summit titled “Trade and Investment potentials in Bangladesh”, held in Doha. The summit showcased the potential investment opportunities in Bangladesh across various sectors.
In his keynote speech, QFC Chief Executive Officer H E Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida said: “Bangladesh and Qatar have been enjoying a healthy economic relationship for over four decades, which has significantly grown in recent years. This is evidenced in the exponential growth of the two nations’ trade volume rising from QR 948 million in 2017 to more than QR 10 billion in 2022.”
Al Jaida added: “Beyond ICT, energy and human capital, there are numerous areas where we can expand mutually beneficial investment and partnerships, such as agriculture, technology education, tourism, culture, sports, and finance.”
In September 2018, QFC, one of the world’s leading and fastest growing onshore business and financial centers, officially welcomed the Bangladesh Forum Qatar (BFQ) as a registered business council on the QFC platform.
As a business council, the QFB will play a key role in facilitating bilateral investment between Qatar and Bangladesh. The BFQ is a non-profit business council aimed at promoting the continued growth and development of trade and investment between the two countries. The QFC endeavors to promote Qatar as an attractive business destination for companies looking to expand their operations in the Middle East region and take advantage of the opportunities available in the country.
Within the context of the economic relations between the two countries, the “Made in Bangladesh” exhibition, organized by the BQF kicked off in January 2020 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC). The three-day exhibition brought together 100 companies covering 18 major sectors in Bangladesh specializing in information technology, energy, cement, telecommunications, food and beverages, fisheries, etc.
Within the framework of political coordination between the two countries, a round of political consultations was held in Doha in September 2022 between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. During the round of political consultations, they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations, in addition to several issues of common interest. Following the round of consultations, an agreement was signed on abolishing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official, and special passports.
Through various mutual visits between senior officials of the two countries, areas of cooperation between the two parties are being discussed in many fields, especially in the energy sector, economy, labor affairs, banks, culture, and others.
The State of Qatar is the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh as there are several agreements between the two parties in this regard, the most recent of which was signed in January between QatarEnergy and Excelerate Energy to supply Bangladesh with LNG for 15 years starting as of January 2026, at a rate of approximately one million tons annually. There is also an agreement between the two parties signed in June 2023 to supply LNG to the Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) at a rate of up to 1.8 million tons annually and to be delivered to the ports of Bangladesh as of January 2026 for 15 years.
Within the context of the interest in labor affairs, in December 2018, the State of Qatar launched two visa centers in Bangladesh, one in the capital, Dhaka, and the other in the city of Sylhet, as part of Qatar’s efforts to facilitate and simplify the procedures for bringing expatriates to work in the State of Qatar.
Bangladesh is located in the southeast of Asia and is bordered by India on all sides except the far southeast, where Myanmar borders it. It has an area of more than 147,000 square kilometers and its population exceeds 174,000,000 people. It is called the land of rivers because it is home to more than 57 transboundary rivers.
In recent years, Bangladesh has succeeded in rising as an economic power. In 2019, Prime Minister H E Sheikh Hasina wrote an article in which she said that in addition to self-sufficiency, Bangladesh is now the fourth-largest producer of rice, the second-largest producer of jute, the fourth-largest producer of mangoes, the fifth-largest producer of vegetables, and the fourth-largest producer of inbound fisheries. Bangladesh aims to become a developed country by 2040 and has established around 100 economic zones to attract foreign investment.
Bangladesh relies on the export of textiles, clothing, seafood, fish, and agricultural products such as bananas, mangoes, potatoes, tropical fruits, onions, rice, tea, jute, pineapples, etc. There are also some job opportunities available for investors in areas of export-oriented industries such as textiles, leather products, electronic components, chemicals, petrochemicals, and agricultural-based industries, in addition to the tourism sector and light industries, and in infrastructure projects such as power generation, oil and gas exploration, minerals, communications, ports, roads, and many other sectors, which can attract foreign investors.
