Dhaka, Oct 9, 2025 : Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take special steps to resolve long-standing visa complications that are affecting Bangladesh’s workers, as new labour markets are opening up in Eastern European countries.
He gave the instruction while chairing a meeting of the National Steering Committee at his office in Tejgaon, which was formed to monitor Bangladesh’s smooth and sustainable transition from Least Developed Country (LDC) status.
Later, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy, saying the Chief Adviser highlighted that visa-related problems have been continuing since previous governments.
“He has asked the Foreign Ministry to take extra initiatives to resolve these problems,” Shafiqul said.
Professor Yunus noted that Albania and Kosovo have shown interest in recruiting Bangladeshi workers, following his recent meetings with their leaders in New York. He stressed that visa issues should not block these new opportunities.
As many Eastern European countries do not have embassies in Bangladesh, Bangladeshi workers must apply for visas through embassies in New Delhi, India, which creates additional difficulties. “This issue was discussed repeatedly in the meeting,” Shafiqul added.
He said the Foreign Ministry is already working to address the matter and will take further coordinated efforts to ensure smooth visa processing.
The meeting was attended by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Commerce Adviser Sk. Bashir Uddin, Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and other senior officials.
Also present were Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, FBCCI President Mahbubul Alam, DCCI President Taskin Ahmed, and Pharmaceutical Industries President Abdul Muktadir.
Other attendees included Special Assistants and Coordinators from the Chief Adviser’s Office, such as Dr Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Lutfey Siddiqi, Principal Secretary M Siraz Uddin Miah, and Principal Coordinator for SDGs Lamiya Morshed, along with officials from the Economic Relations Division (ERD).
