Momen to talk expat, Rohingya issues with Saudi FM

Bangladeshi expatriate workers problem in Saudi Arabia and Saudi government's demand for issuance of 'travel documents' for the Rohingyas stranded in the kingdom would be the focal point of Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud teleconference on Sunday.
"Our Foreign Minister has expressed his interest to talk with his Saudi counterpart on Thursday, however, the Saudi Foreign Ministry has given us the time on Sunday noon,� a senior official told the daily Observer on Thursday.
He said the foreign minister wants to thank Saudi government for agreeing to extend visas for the Bangladeshis who want to return to their workplaces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and for the announcement that Bangladesh workers' iqama (work permit) will remain valid for 24 more days and   if required there will be further extensions.
"Saudi government has given landing permission to Biman Bangladesh Airlines which will help the return of Bangladeshis smoothly," he added.
The Foreign Ministry sources said Saudi labour ministry officials in May, 2020 made it clear that they will soon be recruiting only the skilled workers with valid certificates. They also had taken up a policy to replace 70 per cent of the foreign workers by its citizens within 2030.
Knowing all these issues, the then Bangladesh Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Golam Moshi wrote a letter to the government and said government should look into the matter seriously and form an expert committee to explore alternative labour markets.
Bangladesh officially earns around US$3 billion a year in remittance from Saudi Arabia. The amount may be around $7.5 billion if illegal money transfers are counted.
Golam Moshi writes the coronavirus fallout and slumping oil prices may lead to the deportation of up to 10 lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers from Saudi Arabia in the next three to five years. According to the Bangladesh mission there are around two to three lakh Bangladeshis staying in Saudi Arabia illegally. The Saudi government is planning to send all of them back in the next one and half years, Moshi wrote to the Bangladesh foreign Ministry.
Saudi Arabia, the most popular destination of Bangladeshi migrant workers, is home to more than 20 lakh Bangladeshis.
The embassy report said Saudi authorities are introducing monthly fees for dependents of foreign workers and increasing the fees for iqamas or residency permits as they are implementing the "Saudization policy" which was formulated in 2016.
"All these things irked us, we repeatedly urged the Saudi government not to send any Bangladeshi migrant during the pandemic, we are eager to discuss the issue," a senior official said.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry has also expressed interest in talking to the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. As from their side they have two crucial issues (i) Rohingya repatriation from Saudi Arab to Bangladesh and (ii) new geo-political situation in Middle Eastern countries that is changing now due to corona and new equation there, a Foreign Ministry official said preferring anonymity.