Washington showed interest in regional integration including BCIM
Bangladesh and the US will hold their third partnership dialogue in mid-June in Washington.
They will also hold the third security dialogue on April 16 and the first Ticfa meeting on April 7-8 in Dhaka.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia Atul Keshap will visit Dhaka later this month to have more engagements with Bangladesh.
Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, now in Washington, told the Dhaka Tribune that he would attend a meeting on the recent security situation in Bangladesh today.
About his meeting with Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal, he said: “Nisha told me that the US would continue to remain engaged with Bangladesh even it feels that the January 5 election had a low turnout.”
Washington showed interest in regional integration including BCIM because it would boost economic activities and address security concerns, he said.
Washington would also appoint a labour attaché at the US embassy in Dhaka to monitor the GSP-related projects and the Better Work Programme coordinated by the International Labour Organisation, he added.
Meanwhile, a press release of the foreign ministry said Shahidul and Nisha discussed the priorities of the present government, labour rights and other pertinent issues and Bangladesh’s role in regional integration.
“Nisha Biswal emphasised that South Asia as a region is a conduit between East and West Asia and the United States expects Bangladesh to continue playing its leading role in promoting regional cooperation,” the release said.
The foreign secretary briefed the US officials about the priorities of the present government which are: law and order, economic advancement and growth in business, democracy and good governance and regional integration, security and stability.
During another meeting, Shahidul brief the US Trade Representative officials on the progress made in ensuring the rights of workers and workplace safety in the readymade garment sector in Bangladesh and also exchanged views on the potential of strengthening trade and investment relations between the two countries.
In a separate meeting, the US Senior Advisor for Myanmar Judith Cefkin briefed the foreign secretary about her recent visit to the Rakhaine State of Myanmar and said the US would continue pursuing Myanmar to address the citizenship issue of the Muslim population to resolve the refugee and displacement issues which originated in Myanmar.
“The foreign secretary reiterated that the issue of displacement across the border of Myanmar Muslims has its origin in Myanmar and therefore, the solution of the issue should be designed in Myanmar.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune
