Bangladesh wants a “tailor-made” investment from the world’s one of the largest oil companies Aramco.
State minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Wednesday told journalists that during his visit to Saudi Arabia, he discussed the issue with authorities concerned.
The Saudi-based Aramco’s investment proposal is so big that Bangladesh does not have the capacity to consume that, the state minister said.
“We proposed a tailor-made investment appropriate for Bangladesh so that we can execute the plan and they do not face any problem related to feasibility of the investment”.
The State Minister returned Dhaka on Tuesday after a three-day official visit to the Kingdom.
He had urged his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir to sign a MoU between Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Authority of Dhaka and competent Saudi authority, which would enable Saudi investors to invest in Bangladesh on PPP projects.
On Wednesday, he said once the deal is signed, the Aramco investment would be easier for Bangladesh since it would come through the PPP.
The Saudi Arabia earlier proposed a $30 billion investment package to Bangladesh.
It also wants to invest in the construction of the Bay terminal of the Chattogram port.
The United Arab Emirates also made a proposal for a similar project in the port.
The state minister, however, said Bangladesh would continue to follow its foreign policy dictum ‘friendship to all, malice towards none’ while dealing with any investment proposals from rival countries.
He said an announcement would come soon in this regard, and it would be a “win-win-win” for all.
During the visit, the state minister expressed his government’s deep gratitude to the Saudi King and Crown Prince for allowing all the foreign residents irrespective of their legal status for access to free COVID treatment and inoculation, which has saved many lives of expatriates including Bangladesh community living in the Kingdom.
