Bangladesh eyes on trade talks as US Delegation set to visit

Bangladesh will seek financial cooperation from Washington as a high level US delegation is set to visit Dhaka this month for discussion on advancing bilateral relations in the current political landscape, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said here today.

“We will seek financial cooperation from the US while discussing all achievable bilateral issues between the two countries,” he told reporters at the foreign ministry here this afternoon.

The US delegation is expected to arrive in Dhaka on September 15, just ahead of Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s planned departure for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 22.
This will be the first high-level visit from the US since the Bangladesh’s interim government took office on August 8.

The delegation is expected to include US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, Deputy Under Secretary for International Finance Brent Neiman, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey W. Ford, according to official sources.

During their visit, the US officials are expected to meet with Chief Adviser Professor Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser, Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, and other key officials.

In response to questions, Hossain noted that while the issue of US sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion is not officially on the agenda, it may still come up in discussions.

Regarding the US visa policy on Bangladeshi nationals, Hossain stated that he does not believe the policy will negatively affect Bangladesh-US bilateral relations.

The US introduced a new visa policy on May 24 last year to support Bangladesh’s goal of conducting free, fair, and peaceful national elections.

Under this policy, the US can restrict visas for any Bangladeshi individuals believed to be responsible for undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.

Responding ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s claim that the US sought to take control of Bangladesh’s Saint Martin’s Island, Hossain said that Washington had strongly denied the allegation.

“They clearly ruled out the claim, and to my knowledge, there was no such proposal from the US side,” he said. (BSS)