DUBAI // Three agreements were signed between the UAE and Bangladesh on Monday by senior officials from both countries.
According to state news agency Wam, the meeting took place at Zabeel Palace, where discussions were held between Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and visiting Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to strengthen ties between the two states.
Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and Asaduzzaman Noor, Bangladeshi state minister of home affairs, signed an agreement on security cooperation and another on the transfer of sentenced prisoners.
According to the Ministry of Interior’s figures, there are between 800 and 900 Bangladesh prisoners serving jail terms in the UAE.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Foreign Minister, and Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Bangladeshi minister of foreign affairs, signed an agreement on the allotment of a plot of land in the diplomatic neighbourhood in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, for the construction of a UAE Embassy.
Sheikh Mohammed gave his blessings to the new agreements and expressed his hope that they would constitute a favourable and good start for the promotion of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening activities in the private sector between the two countries where investment partnerships take place.
The meeting was also attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Emirates Group, among others.
About 700,000 Bangladeshis live in the UAE.
Bilateral trade between the countries was worth US$967 million (Dh3.55 billion) in the 2012-13 fiscal year.
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