Reciprocal visa exemption agreement with Algeria for diplomatic and official passport holders will be signed soon, Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) has said.
He said this during a courtesy call on the Algerian Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdelouahab Saidani at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) afternoon.
The advisor said, the mutual visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders is now in its final stages. The memorandum of understanding in this regard has already been approved by the cabinet. It will be signed at the earliest convenient time subject to the consent of both parties. He said, Algeria was the first Arab country to recognize Bangladesh in 1971 after its independence. For that, Bangladesh is grateful to Algeria.
The meeting discussed various issues related to mutual interests, including law and order and security issues between the two countries, police training, countering transnational terrorism, exchanging intelligence, preventing illegal immigration and human trafficking, and the possibility of exporting agricultural labor to Algeria.
Welcoming the ambassador at the beginning of the meeting, the advisor said that Algeria is one of the friendly countries of Bangladesh. We are ready to provide any kind of cooperation to further strengthen mutual relations. At this time, the ambassador said that we want to establish a fruitful relationship between the two countries. Because, through the development of mutual relations, bilateral relations will be promoted to another level.
The advisor said that the two countries can work together on various issues including preventing illegal immigration and human trafficking, combating transnational terrorism, security issues, exchanging intelligence. In particular, a memorandum of understanding on preventing human trafficking and mutual legal assistance can be signed. The ambassador requested that a proposal be sent from Bangladesh in this regard.
Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) said that there are many opportunities for mutual cooperation in enhancing the efficiency and capacity of the police of the two countries. In this regard, he emphasized on organizing mutual advanced training and workshops on various issues related to security and policing. The advisor said that Algeria is the largest country in the African continent in terms of area. The country has a lot of land, namely cultivable land. On the other hand, Bangladesh, although small in area, is one of the most populous countries in the world. He said that the number of farmers in our country is very large. If the two countries agree, Bangladesh can export skilled agricultural workers to Algeria.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs were present at the meeting.
