Saudi Arabian minister of investment Khalid A Al-Faliah and minister of economy and planning Faisal Alibrahim recently met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Doha and offered to invest in various sectors in Bangladesh on a large scale.
The two Saudi ministers said they want to invest in petrochemicals, diesel, jet fuel, fertiliser, major distribution centres and shipping lines in Bangladesh.
"Saudi Arabia wants to establish Bangladesh as a regional hub considering its geographical location as the country is in between South and South-East Asia. If we make it a hub, we can cover up Indonesia, Malaysia and more…," Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen quoted the Saudi ministers as saying.
"We see few issues as investors. Firstly, the stability (of the country), businessmen see whether it is stable, the future of investment. The present and future of Bangladesh is very good, and that is why we've taken the decision to strengthen relations with Bangladesh," they said.
Hasina offered Matarbari and Paira sea ports and economic zones to Saudi Arabia for mutual benefits, media reports from Bangladesh said.