Chief Advisor Yunus back in Dhaka after UAE visit

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has returned to Bangladesh following a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he attended the World Government Summit in Dubai.

An Emirates flight carrying Yunus landed in Dhaka at 5pm on Friday, according to the chief advisor’s press wing.

He was seen off at Dubai International Airport by UAE Sports Minister Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi.

Beyond his participation in the conference, Yunus held meetings with several ministers from the UAE.

Discussions in those meetings covered a range of mutual interests, including the potential lifting of visa restrictions on Bangladeshi citizens, the expansion of trade and commerce, the UAE’s investment plans in Chittagong port, and efforts to strengthen cooperation in sports and education.

The chief advisor also urged Emirati authorities to lift visa restrictions on Bangladeshi citizens and increase the recruitment of workers from the country.

He encouraged Emirati companies to establish factories in Bangladesh and, following a proposal from Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s minister of commerce, granted in-principle approval for the creation of a special industrial park dedicated to UAE businesses.

The chief advisor also emphasised Bangladesh’s potential as a hub for halal product manufacturing, citing its low-cost labour market as an advantage for UAE industrial clusters. In response, Zeyoudi expressed interest in leading a high-level trade and investment delegation to Bangladesh in the near future.

Accompanying Yunus on the trip were Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain, Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi, and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed.