State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Hoque says that efforts will be made to extend the visas of Bangladeshi expatriate workers living in Saudi Arabia whose visas are about to expire amid the ongoing conflict in Saudi Arabia.
However, he said that it is not possible to hold such talks at the moment as Saudi Arabia itself is embroiled in the conflict.
The state minister’s remarks came in response to questions from journalists at a hotel in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Regarding the Bangladeshi casualties in the airstrike in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the state minister said: "A number of Bangladeshis were seriously injured and killed in the airstrike in Riyadh on Sunday. Our embassy in Riyadh has been playing a very active role since the incident.
"The ambassador himself and senior officials have visited the hospital and asked after those undergoing treatment. Since the beginning of the war, West Asian countries including Saudi Arabia have been providing all kinds of sincere cooperation in providing medical treatment to our citizens and sending the bodies of the deceased home."
Nurul cautioned against putting undue pressure on friendly countries during crises, saying Bangladesh had a moral responsibility to stand by Saudi Arabia rather than simply ask for help.
“The government is providing assistance to the families of the deceased and the affected at its own initiative,” he said
The state minister said, "As per the bilateral agreement, some companies provide compensation. And if any of the registered workers are killed through BMET, the government provides financial assistance of about Tk 1.35 million."
Highlighting the current situation of the expatriate labour market, he said: "About 75 percent of our labour force heads to West Asia, more than half of which goes to Saudi Arabia. Although the sending of people has decreased slightly in the last few months due to the war, it has started to normalise again. I hope this war will not last long."
He believes that after the war, a lot of employment will be created for the reconstruction of the affected areas and Bangladeshis will get priority there.
In addition, work is under way to find alternative labour markets outside West Asia, the state minister said.
Nurul said employment opportunities are being created for workers who returned home after evaluating their training and previous experience certificates under the reintegration project. He said, "Priority will be given to those affected in other G2G processes, including the government sending workers to Malaysia at zero cost."
Regarding the introduction of the Expatriate Card, he clarified that it will be officially launched only after the trial phase proves that the system is completely risk-free and effective.
The state minister called on everyone to comply with the strict regulations in West Asia countries.
He especially emphasised the adherence to the ban on posting war-related audio, video or photo footage on social media.