Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen sought South Korean cooperation to ease its visa process for expatiate Bangladeshi workers and students, who got stuck here due to pandemic, to facilitate return to their work and studies in the East Asian nation.
The foreign minister made the request while talking to his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha over telephone on Tuesday (October 6) afternoon, a foreign ministry press release said.
Detailing the plights of the stranded South Korea bound Bangladeshi workers and students, Momen sought support of the Korean foreign minister to facilitate the return of the stuck expatiates.
The two ministers also discussed bilateral, regional and global issues including the Covid-19 pandemic and welfare of Bangladeshi workers and students.
They agreed to work together to realize the full potential of the existing excellent bilateral relations.
Momen invited South Korea to establish a vocational training centre which could train Bangladeshi workers to suit the needs of Korean employers.
The South Korean foreign minister welcomed the idea and also assured to look into the visa issue.
Momen lauded South Korea’s effective containment of the spread of COVID-19 and called for greater cooperation to combat the pandemic.
Bangladesh foreign minister apprised Kyung-wha of the current Rohingya situation while the Korean foreign minister assured to work towards resolving the Rohingya crisis.
He reiterated Korean support for early repatriation of more than a million Myanmar nationals displaced from their home in Rakhaine State now temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh.