John Kerry
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, is scheduled for August 29 to visit Bangladesh for taking bilateral relations between the two countries to the ‘next level’ by forging a strong partnership so that Bangladesh can play strategic role on ‘global issues’.
Making a formal announcement of the visit, the US Department of State said that Kerry would discuss growing bilateral cooperation ‘on global issues’ and ‘partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights’ with Bangladesh officials.
This visit would also help bridge the position of the outgoing US administration on Bangladesh to the next government of the country, US ambassador Mercia Bernicat believes.
‘We have a very strong partnership and what’s the next level. He is coming here is not only about our current administration but bridging to the next. There will be change in the government, change in leadership. So he will be very much a part of that,’ she told New Age on Wednesday afternoon
A new administration will take over the White House in January through an election in the first week of November.
Asked about the issues for discussion between the two sides, Bernicat said, ‘When we talk about security and trade, we are not just talking about today or [what] Bangladesh and US can do together. We are also talking about things like what will be Bangladesh’s role in the region.’
She said this after an informal meeting with the foreign secretary, M Shahidul Haque, at Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies in Dhaka.
The visit would take place amid US concern expressed after the killing of USAID staff Xulhaz Mannan and extremist attacks on a Gulshan café in Dhaka and a police checkpoint near the largest Eid congregation at Sholakia in Kishoreganj.
The US authorities were claiming that extremist outfits linked with Islamic State were involved in the recent attacks in Bangladesh. Bangladesh authorities were claiming that ‘home-grown’ extremist outfits were behind the incidents.
Replying to a question whether any ‘strategic’ issues would be discussed during the visit, Bernicat said, ‘You put your people, your skilled military and police on the line everyday to keep peace around the world. So, we talk about how to expand that, how to play that role, that’s strategic.’
Kerry would hold official talks with his counterpart AH Mahmood Ali. He would call on the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
Security related issues including cooperation on trade between the two countries and containing extremism would dominate the official talks between the two sides during Kerry’s one-day visit to Dhaka, diplomats said.
Kerry is likely to meet a select group of members of the civil society.
Kerry would arrive in Dhaka in the morning on August 29 from Geneva and depart for New Delhi in the afternoon.
This will be Kerry’s first visit to Dhaka.
His predecessor Hillary Clinton visited Dhaka in May 2012.
Source: New Age
