Bangladesh has sought stronger energy cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Qatar while exploring foreign investment opportunities in its renewable energy sector during bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 17th International Energy Forum in Riyadh.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit held separate meetings with Saudi Assistant Minister of Energy for Electricity Nasser bin Hadi Al-Qahtani, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, and ACWA Power CEO Dr Samir J Serhan, according to an official message.
The discussions focused on strengthening Bangladesh’s energy security, securing long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, expanding bilateral cooperation and attracting investment in renewable energy.
During his meeting with Al-Qahtani, Amit expressed condolences over the deaths caused by the Houthi attack on Riyadh International Airport and condemned the attack.
He reaffirmed the solidarity of the government and people of Bangladesh with Saudi Arabia and briefed the Saudi official on a condolence message sent by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to the Saudi crown prince and prime minister.
Amit also sought Saudi assistance in repatriating the bodies of two Bangladeshi nationals killed in the attack and ensuring medical treatment for those injured.
On energy cooperation, the state minister sought Saudi support to strengthen Bangladesh’s energy security. Al-Qahtani described Bangladesh as a brotherly country of special importance to Saudi Arabia and expressed optimism about expanding cooperation in energy security and other development initiatives.
Both sides emphasised exchanging delegations and establishing a framework for understanding to identify areas of Saudi support for Bangladesh’s energy targets by 2030. Their discussions also covered long-term energy cooperation, floating LNG terminals, and offshore and onshore gas exploration.
In his meeting with Qatar’s Al-Kaabi, Amit discussed Bangladesh’s growing natural gas demand, existing LNG import arrangements and the possibility of signing new long-term supply agreements.
The two sides also explored LNG supplies from QatarEnergy’s international portfolio and ways to diversify supply sources and routes. They stressed the need for continued commercial and technical discussions between the relevant organisations.
In a separate meeting, ACWA Power CEO Dr Samir J Serhan discussed investment opportunities in Bangladesh’s renewable energy sector with Amit. The company expressed interest in investing in the sector.
Officials from the Bangladesh delegation and the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh were present at the meetings.
