He also expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government for employing and hosting around 1.7 million Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia and solving the recent problem on exporting Bangladeshi manpower to the kingdom.

Professor Iajuddin sought the ambassador's cooperation through exerting his own influence so that Bangladeshi people could uninterruptedly contribute to the infrastructural development of Saudi Arabia.

He expressed his gratitude for magnanimous assistance by the Saudi government for cyclone Sidr-affected people of Bangladesh and requested the Saudi envoy to convey his complements to the Saudi King Abdullah who is also the custodian of two holy mosques.

President Iajuddin also observed the great potential in promoting bilateral cooperation between Dhaka and Riyadh
especially in the economic sector through enhancing Saudi investment in Bangladesh and boosting trade between the two countries.

In this regard he also briefed the Saudi envoy about various facilities given by Bangladesh government to foreign investors.

He hoped that Saudi-Bangladesh joint commission meeting scheduled to be held on April 7 and 8 in Dhaka would help boosting further the economic cooperation between the two countries.

He also sought envoy's cooperation for increasing Saudi food assistance to Bangladesh and expanding education linkage and exchanging programmes between the two countries.

The President briefed the Saudi envoy about the present government's and Elections commission's efforts towards holding a neutral and fair general election by December this year to strengthen the democratic system in the country.

The outgoing ambassador thanked Bangladesh government and people of the country for extending all-out cooperation to him in discharging his duties in Dhaka.

The ambassador also recalled the Bangladesh's armed forces role in Saudi Arabia in 1990 during the Iraq's invasion to Kuwait and said Saudi Arabia always attached great importance of her relations with brotherly country Bangladesh.

He also expressed his satisfaction at the solution of recent crises of exporting Bangladeshi manpower to Saudi Arabia and hoped that Bangladeshi people would take part increasingly in the development of Saudi Arabia in the days to come.

Secretary to the President Md Sirajul Islam and Press Secretary Abdul Awal Howlader were present.