Kuwaiti PM due on May 3

Bangladesh is looking forward towards greater cooperation with Kuwait on all fronts, including trade and investment as the Gulf nation's prime minister, Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, is scheduled to arrive on May 3 on a three-day visit.

Issues, including Kuwaiti investment in Bangladesh, especially in crude oil refinery and increased manpower export to Kuwait, and signing of a number of agreements will be discussed, a foreign ministry official said without elaborating.

The official said Bangladesh might seek $1 billion as investment in the oil refinery sector. He, however, said the nature of investment will be decided through discussions.

The Kuwaiti prime minister will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 4, said another official. The ministry sources said a large delegation will accompany the Kuwaiti prime minister, who will also meet President Abdul Hamid.

Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the foreign ministry with Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque in the chair on Wednesday that discussed the upcoming visit.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Kuwait in February 2010 when four agreements on cultural and tourism promotion, formation of a joint commission and economic and technical cooperation were signed.