Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury on Thursday said 12 Bangladeshis have so far died in the Middle East conflict, while four Bangladeshi workers have died after reportedly being forced into activities related to Russia-Ukraine war.

The minister disclosed the information while responding to a question from BNP reserved-seat MP Nilufar Chowdhury Moni during the question-answer session in the National Parliament.

Five of them were killed in Lebanon, three in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Iraq and Bahrain, Ariful said.

He also informed Parliament that four of the 30 Bangladeshi workers sent to Russia under employment contracts have died after reportedly being forced into war-related activities.

The minister said the government has repatriated 186 Bangladeshis, including 12 women and eight children, from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with financial support from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board.

He said the families of the deceased whose bodies were repatriated received Tk35,000 each at the airport to cover burial expenses and an additional special grant of Tk50,000.

He said the government has also repatriated Bangladeshi migrant workers from different countries at various times in response to natural disasters and conflict situations.

On labour migration to Malaysia, the minister said Bangladesh and Malaysia held bilateral discussions at the senior official level in April to facilitate the resumption of worker recruitment.

He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently visited Malaysia, while a Malaysian delegation is scheduled to visit Bangladesh later this month, expressing optimism that the process of sending Bangladeshi workers to the country will resume soon.

Ariful also said the government is working to diversify overseas employment markets in view of the instability in the Middle East.