Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today emphasised resolving the existing complexities in the visa process as new labour markets of Bangladesh are being created in the Eastern European countries.

As the visa complexities have been persisting since previous governments, the Chief Adviser instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make special efforts to resolve these issues.

Professor Yunus put the emphasis and gave the instruction while chairing a meeting of the National Steering Committee formed to implement and monitor the smooth and sustainable transition strategy of Bangladesh from the LDC status at the Chief Adviser's Office in the city's Tejgaon area.
 
Later, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy here about the details of the meeting this afternoon.

He said, "The Chief Adviser pointed out that some visa-related complications still exist, which are persisting from the previous government. He has asked the Foreign Ministry to take extra initiatives to resolve these problems."

Highlighting new labour market opportunities for Bangladesh in the Eastern European countries, the press secretary mentioned that during the Chief Adviser's recent visit to New York, he held meetings with the President of Albania and the Prime Minister of Kosovo.

"Both countries expressed their interest in recruiting workers from Bangladesh," he said.

The Chief Adviser stressed that visa complications must not stand as obstacle in the way of these new opportunities, Shafiqul said, adding, as most Eastern European countries do not have embassies in Bangladesh, many Bangladeshi workers currently need to apply for visas through embassies located in New Delhi, India.

"This issue was discussed repeatedly in the meeting," he said, adding, the Chief Adviser underscored the importance of finding an effective solution to the visa problem. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already working on this matter and will take further coordinated efforts to ensure smooth processing, Shafiqul said.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Commerce Adviser Sk. Bashir Uddin, Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Agriculture Adviser Lt. General (Retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Dr. Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser M Siraz Uddin Miah, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur, NBR Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, Special Envoy on International Affairs to the Chief Adviser Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Ministry Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Principal Coordinator for SDGs Lamiya Morshed, and senior officials of the Economic Relations Division joined the meeting.

BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, FBCCI President Mahbubul Alam, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Taskin Ahmed, and Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries President Abdul Muktadir were also present at the meeting.