Momen asks envoys to safeguard expatriate workers’ job in ME
Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen on Monday asked Bangladesh envoys in 11 Middle East (ME) countries to place all diplomatic efforts in job retention of expatriate Bangladeshi workers’ in those oil rich nations as the world have already been scrambling to contain COVID-19 pandemic.
Through their diplomatic efforts, he also instructed the Bangladesh envoys of these countries to make sure salaries and allowances if any expatriate worker returns to Bangladesh.
The foreign minister gave the directives at a videoconference with Bangladesh Ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Libya, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Oman.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin slso joined the virtual meeting.
Momen also asked the Bangladesh missions to keep their efforts in providing food assist with the expatriate workers’ there.
The foreign minister urged all expatriate Bangladeshis to follow health guidelines of their respective host countries amid sequestration because of deadly pandemic.
Beneath the directives of the foreign ministry, Bangladesh missions abroad have previously established ‘hotline numbers’ and several missions formed ‘pool of doctors’ to supply online medical advice to the expatriate Bangladeshis.
The missions distributed food and necessary items among the Bangladesh community living in various countries, particularly in the Middle East with the allocated funds disbursed by foreign ministry in coordination with expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry.
The foreign ministry in addition has established a website titled “COMBAT CORONA” on its website for providing telemedicine services, awareness raising and disseminating COVID-19 related information which is also linked with hotlines of the embassies.
The ministry in addition has created a “WhatsApp Envoys” to keep continuous connection with Bangladesh missions abroad while all missions are sending daily reports to the ministry on COVID-19 from their respective host countries.
The foreign ministry in cooperation with Bangladesh Armed Forces has sent some gifts to few countries including Bhutan, the Maldives, China and Kuwait.
Furthermore, Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen has sent letters to the Foreign Minister’s or spoken to many relevant countries and few letters have already been sent jointly by Foreign Minister and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister.
On Wednesday, at a video conference with foreign ministers of the member states of OIC executive committee, Momen urged OIC countries to give utmost importance on the issue of job retention of domestic and resident migrant workers.
