Key Issues on Agenda for CA’s Meeting with Qatar Amir

Chief Adviser Professor Mohammad Yunus is set to visit Qatar today to attend the ‘Earthna Summit 2025’. During his four-day visit, he is expected to meet with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The meeting, scheduled for April 23 or 24, will focus on various critical issues, including trade and energy cooperation, visa issuance, and increasing manpower supply.

Professor Yunus is visiting Qatar at the invitation of the Amir, with Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan likely accompanying him. Notably, four national female athletes from Bangladesh—footballers Afida Khandakar and Shaheda Akhter Ripa, and cricketers Sumaiya Akhter and Sharmin Sultana—will also be part of the delegation, marking a historic first. 

The Earthna Summit 2025, with the theme “Building our Legacy: Sustainability, Innovation, and Traditional Knowledge,” will highlight Qatar’s efforts in advancing sustainability, particularly in hot and arid environments. The summit will emphasize the integration of traditional knowledge with innovative approaches to build a more sustainable future.

Diplomatic sources indicate that during the meeting between Professor Yunus and the Amir, they will review the outcomes of the Amir's previous visit to Bangladesh in April 2024, where five agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed across various sectors, including trade, commerce, and cooperation. Key issues under discussion are expected to include trade and investment, energy cooperation—especially LNG exports—visa facilitation for Bangladeshis, and defense sector collaboration.

Qatar is a significant LNG supplier to Bangladesh, and recent agreements have been made to increase LNG imports. Qatar is also interested in leveraging Bangladesh's seaport infrastructure for LNG supply, with a new agreement set to take effect in 2026. Bangladesh may request Qatar to expedite the LNG supply timeline. Additionally, the two countries are expected to explore further opportunities for trade, tourism, and investment.