Dubai, UAE – Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, has called on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift the visa ban on Bangladeshi citizens and recruit more workers from Bangladesh.

During his participation in the two-day World Governments Summit in Dubai, Dr. Yunus held meetings with several UAE ministers, where he made this appeal.

According to Abul Kalam Azad Mazumdar, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, the discussions covered mutual interests, trade and business expansion, UAE investment plans in Chattogram Port, and initiatives to strengthen bilateral relations in sports and education.

Dr. Yunus also invited UAE companies to relocate their factories to Bangladesh. UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, proposed the establishment of a special industrial park for Emirati businesses in Bangladesh, to which Dr. Yunus gave his principled consent.

During the meetings, the Chief Adviser emphasized that UAE businesses could turn Bangladesh into a ‘Halal Product Manufacturing Hub’ due to the availability of affordable labor.

In response, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade expressed interest in leading a high-level trade and investment delegation to Bangladesh in the coming months.

Dr. Yunus was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain, Special Envoy Lutfe Siddiqui, and Senior Secretary Lamia Morshed.

Following his participation in the World Governments Summit, Dr. Yunus departed for Bangladesh. On Friday, UAE’s Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, bid farewell to him at Dubai International Airport.