Bangladeshi expats mark National Day in UAE

Abu Dhabi - "I urge all of them to work sincerely for both the UAE and Bangladesh."

Dozens of Bangladeshi community members gathered at their embassy in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to celebrate the 46th Independence and National Day of Bangladesh.
"I would like to congratulate all the Bangladeshi community in the UAE on the occasion of our country's Independence and National Day," said Mohammad Imran, the Bangladesh Ambassador in Abu Dhabi.
In his address, the ambassador paid homage to the "Father of the Nation", Bangabandhu Shaikh Mujibur Rahman, who declared the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan on March 26, 1971.
According to Imran, there are around 700,000 Bangladeshi nationals residing in the UAE.
"I urge all of them to work sincerely for both the UAE and Bangladesh," he said.
"Since they send their hard earned income to Bangladesh, it is a great economical support for our nation," said the ambassador, calling on the Bangladeshi expats to send money home using legal channels," he added.
While the common perception is that most Bangladeshi nationals in the UAE are manual labourers the ambassador explained that in fact, mid-level technicians form the majority of the community here. Farming is another big sector for the Bangladeshi community in the UAE as nearly 90 farms are maintained by Bangladeshis.
Imran also stressed that Bangladesh has very good relations with the UAE, but more cooperation can be developed, particularly in the trade and cultural sectors.
"Bangladesh is a different country now; it is doing very well. We can cooperate with the UAE in many sectors; we have many Bangladeshi professionals here, who could contribute with technical ex-pertise," pointed out Imran.
"Our people are very happy here, in the UAE. I would also like to pay my respect to the Emirati martyrs who lay their lives in this last year to keep us and the region safe and secure," said Imran.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi