Saudi Ambassador presses Bangladesh to speed up passport process for 69,000 Rohingyas

Saudi Arabia has urged Bangladesh to accelerate the issuance of passports to approximately 69,000 Rohingyas currently residing in the kingdom, raising the matter directly with the country's home minister in a high-level diplomatic meeting on Monday.

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah made the request during a courtesy call on Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at the ministry's office in the Secretariat in Dhaka, according to a press release issued by the Home Ministry.

The minister told the ambassador that 22,000 Rohingyas had already received Bangladeshi passports following verification of the necessary documents and proof of eligibility. He said a special team had been dispatched from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia to expedite the remaining cases and gave a firm assurance that corruption or irregularities in the passport issuance process would not be tolerated.

The minister also said that Myanmar nationals who held valid Bangladeshi documents or met the required conditions should be issued passports, and called for a complete list from the Saudi side to enable re-verification of pending cases.

Beyond the Rohingya passport issue, the two sides used the meeting to discuss a range of bilateral matters including law and order, security cooperation, Saudi investment prospects in Bangladesh's tourism and energy sectors, and manpower export. The minister highlighted the investment opportunities available to Saudi businesses in Bangladesh and called for deeper cooperation across these areas.

The ambassador extended a formal invitation for a ministerial delegation from Bangladesh to visit Saudi Arabia. The home minister accepted and indicated he may travel to the kingdom in the first half of July.

Senior officials from the Home Ministry attended the meeting.