WITH one of the highest GDP per capita incomes today, the state of Qatar in the Gulf has been ruled by the Al-Thani royal dynasty since 1868. The World Bank estimated Qatar鈥檚 GDP at $236.26 billion in 2022. Bilateral relations between Qatar and Bangladesh have improved dramatically in recent years.
Qatar鈥檚 emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani paid a two-day state visit to Bangladesh beginning on April 22 at the invitation of the government. The primary goal of the visit was to strengthen and expand the ties and collaboration between the two countries. A high-level official entourage accompanied him on his first visit to Bangladesh. It demonstrates a shared desire to further reinforce bilateral relations.
Notably, the former ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the architect of the contemporary Qatar and its foreign policy, paid a ceremonial visit to the country in April 2005 and laid the groundwork for bilateral collaboration. That year, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for Foreign Office consultation.
In 2013, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the emir of Qatar, wielding absolute power. His government aspires to achieve 鈥榚conomic and social modernisation鈥� as outlined in Qatar鈥檚 National Vision 2030, a goal to transform the country into a highly advanced one.
Exclusive one-to-one discussions on a range of important issues such as trade and investment promotion and protection, energy and power, and human resources supply took place between Qatar鈥檚 emir Sheikh Tamim and Bangladesh鈥檚 prime minister Sheikh Hasina. This was followed by a combined productive summit, during which Bangladesh and Qatar solidified their relationship by signing as many as ten documents. These included five agreements and five memorandums of understanding. The five agreements encompass various areas of cooperation, including legal matters, investment promotion and protection, taxation, maritime transit, and the establishment of a joint business council. The five memorandums included cooperation on human resources, cooperation on port management, cooperation on higher education and scientific research, cooperation in youth and sports issues and cooperation in diplomatic training.
Sheikh Tamim commended both sides for signing the key agreements and memorandums and recognised the important role of the hard-working Bangladeshi expatriates in the economic development of Qatar.
Sheikh Tamim also held a summit with the president, Mohammed Shahab Uddin, at Bangabhaban and exchanged views on a number of mutual issues. Shahabuddin highlighted bilateral economic cooperation and sought further investments from Qatar in the special economic zones of the country and also invited the business moguls to recruit more work forces from Bangladesh.
Qatar gave diplomatic recognition to Bangladesh in March 1974. While Bangladesh launched its mission in Doha in June 1975, almost seven years later, Qatar opened its diplomatic mission in Dhaka in 1982. Both are predominantly Muslim countries and continue to support each other in the international fora.
The reciprocal political and economic relations between supposedly 鈥榙emocratic鈥� Bangladesh and authoritarian monarchy Qatar have been quite productive, particularly over the last decade. The key determinants of their relationships are mutual respect, a shared vision of prosperity and peace, and a common religious tradition.
At the invitation of the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hasina made a three-day official visit to Qatar in May 2023. She addressed the Qatar Economic Forum debates. Graced by global leaders in business and government, the organisation is renowned as a dominant voice for trade and investment.
Sheikh Hasina reviewed Bangladesh鈥檚 trade and investment prospects and invited Qatari business elite to invest in the country. Notably, she paid two visits to Qatar in 2023. Thus, Hasina鈥檚 formal visits and high-level engagements and deliberations have resulted in warm and friendly bilateral relations between the two countries.
In fact, Sheikh Hasina continues to prioritise partnerships with Qatar, primarily for three reasons: (a) it has developed as an important commercial partner; (b) the third-largest destination for Bangladeshi workers after Saudi Arabia and Malaysia; and (c) a major exporter of LNG and urea fertiliser to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh imports about 800,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser annually from Qatar Fertiliser Company Ltd under a 2009 memorandum of understanding.
Bangladesh also relies heavily on Qatar for energy supplies, with Petrobangla inking a new agreement with Qatar Energy in June 2023 to secure an ongoing supply of liquefied natural gas. Qatari gas remains in high demand globally, especially following Russia鈥揢kraine in February 2022. The new agreement will deliver extra LNG for 15 more years, from 2026 to 2040, ensuring Bangladesh鈥檚 energy security. On the other hand, the energy deal enhances Qatar鈥檚 geopolitical influence in Bangladesh.
Oil and gas-rich Qatar is a top trading partner of Bangladesh in the Middle East. Qatar鈥檚 total exports to Bangladesh amounted close to $2.74 billion during 2022, which was only $4.5 million in 2000. On the other hand, Bangladesh鈥檚 export to Qatar increased to $89.43 million in 2022 from meagre $2.37 million in 2000. Bangladesh has been making efforts to increase its exports to Qatar and currently exporting ready-made garments, vegetables, tea and processed foods.
Qatar has partnerships with some of the world鈥檚 best universities to provide world-class education. More than one hundred Bangladeshi students are studying in Qatar as part of the Qatar Foundation scholarship programme. The Qatari government provided about $1.27 million in March 2023 to support Bangladesh鈥檚 education sector. The funding aimed to assist approximately 650,000 primary students who were not in school.
Sheikh Tamim鈥檚 visit to Bangladesh is an important milestone in strengthening the relationship between the two nations. The relationship is growing rapidly, as evidenced by Qatar鈥檚 commitment to Bangladesh as a valuable commercial and economic partner. Bangladesh should prioritise the prompt execution of the agreements and memorandums signed during the visit to leverage this progress. This will not only foster a stronger strategic collaboration but also elevate their alliance to unprecedented levels.
Bangladesh can leverage its partnership with Qatar to drive economic growth, enhance security, and promote regional stability by enhancing trade and investment ties, strengthening economic cooperation, promoting people-to-people ties, and expanding security cooperation. Bangladesh should make efforts to increase trade volumes and attract Qatari investments in key sectors like infrastructure development, energy and manufacturing.
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Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed is a former professor and chairman at the political science department in the University of Dhaka.