Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen urged Spain to recruit agricultural labourers from Bangladesh during the post-Covid pandemic period considering their skills in grain production.

Momen made the suggestion after outgoing Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh Álvaro de Salas Giménez de Azcárate said that his country would need seasonal workers for agriculture, during the farewell call on the foreign minister at the foreign ministry in Dhaka yesterday, a foreign ministry press release said here today.

During the meeting, Momen said Spain may rely on Bangladesh for personal protective equipment and pharmaceutical products related to prevention or treatment of Covid-19 patients.

He said Bangladesh exported 6.5 million PPEs to the USA as well as supplied medicines, such as Remdesivir and Hydroxychloroquine to some countries during the pandemic.

Mentioning the existing investment-friendly schemes of Bangladesh, Momen called for more investments from Spain as well as sharing expertise, especially in energy and tourism sectors.

The foreign minister also called for imposing economic sanction on Myanmar by the international community so that Naypyidaw abide by its commitment for safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya people.

Momen thanked the Spanish government for its continued support for the Rohingya issue.