Mutual visa waiver agreement with Egypt soon: home adviser

Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today said a mutual visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders between Bangladesh and Egypt will be signed soon.

The adviser made the remarks at the secretariat during a courtesy call by Egyptian Ambassador to Bangladesh Omar Mohie Eldin Ahmed Fahmy.

"The draft of the visa waiver agreement has already been sent to Egypt through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for approval," he said, adding, "Once approved by the Egyptian side, the deal will be formally signed."

Jahangir Alam said Bangladesh is also considering granting visa-on-arrival facilities for Egyptian citizens holding regular passports.

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In response, the ambassador assured full cooperation from the Egyptian side.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, including law and order, police training, combating irregular migration and human trafficking, countering transnational terrorism, intelligence sharing, legal assistance, and border security.

Welcoming the ambassador, the adviser said, "Egypt is a close and friendly country to Bangladesh, with deep-rooted ties in ancient civilisation and Islamic heritage."

Ambassador Fahmy said the two countries have enjoyed excellent bilateral relations for the last 50 years, built on mutual trust and respect.

Highlighting Egypt's strength in law enforcement training, the ambassador said, "Egypt hosts Africa's top police training academy, and we are ready to support Bangladesh in building police capacity."

He also expressed Egypt's interest in deeper cooperation in the security sector.

In turn, the home adviser stressed that transnational crime networks must be addressed through joint security efforts and proposed agreements on preventing illegal migration and human trafficking, along with mutual legal assistance.

In reply to the ambassador's query about Bangladesh's current security challenges, the home adviser said, "Bangladesh is not facing any major security threat at the moment, but the presence of Rohingya refugees remains a key security concern, especially along the border areas."

He urged Egypt to provide financial assistance for the Rohingyas' rehabilitation and lend moral support for their repatriation.

The adviser also suggested that Egypt could help Bangladesh improve its border security.

"Egypt manages one of the world's most sensitive borders with Israel with remarkable efficiency," said Jahangir, adding, "We can arrange workshops and training programmes to share experiences between our border forces. Such initiatives could help BGB better manage the Myanmar border."

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Nasimul Ghani, Joint Secretary (Political-1) Md Jasim Uddin Khan, and BM Jamal Hossain, Director General of the Africa Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other officials, were present at the meeting.