US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Ambassador Sergio Gor on Saturday concluded his three-day maiden Bangladesh visit conveying Washington's commitment to deepen strategic and economic ties and continued support to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
"The visit highlighted the breadth and depth of the US-Bangladesh relationship," the US Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement issued after Gor concluded his visit from July 30 to August 1.
The tour featured his meetings with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, alongside a visit to the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, highlighting the broadening scope of Bangladesh-US engagement.
During the call on with the premier at the prime minister's office on Saturday morning, Gor discussed bilateral relations, trade, investment, regional cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.
Following the meeting, the US special envoy, who is also his country’s ambassador in New Delhi, said strengthening economic cooperation and the broader partnership with Bangladesh remained a priority for Washington.
"Today, I had the opportunity to discuss with the Honorable Prime Minister Tarique Rahman the great opportunities between the US and Bangladesh to enhance economic cooperation and strengthen our partnership," he said in a US Embassy disseminated statement.
It added: "This is a priority for the United States, and together we can achieve real success."
During the call on, Tarique Rahman sought continued US investment in Bangladesh, particularly in warehousing, soybean, cotton, wheat and the information technology sector, saying such investments would help build a stronger and more competitive supply chain.
They also discussed expanding cooperation through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), with Gor assuring Bangladesh that Washington would work positively for US engagements through the DFC, formed during the Trump presidency in 2019.
The envoy also informed Bangladesh’s head of government that US investors in Dhaka were keen to organize a US Investors Summit in Bangladesh in near future and he was personally working to facilitate the initiative.
The proposed visit of a delegation from the US-Bangladesh Business Council next month also came up during the talks.
The meeting further discussed expanding cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while Gor said the US regulating agency would resume inspection activities in Bangladesh.
He praised Tarique Rahman's leadership saying stability was returning to Bangladesh and the US decided to lower its travel advisory for Bangladesh from Level 3 to level 2.
The Level 3 of the US travel advisory asks visitors to “reconsider travel” while the Level 2 suggests them to “exercise increased caution”.
The US special envoy said the decision reflected growing US confidence in Bangladesh’s security environment which would send a positive signal to US investors.
Gor praised Bangladesh for hosting more than a million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and continuing humanitarian assistance.
"The United States has supported this camp and urges our partners around the world to increase their contributions," he said during his Cox’s Bazar visit.
He stressed the need for a swift, sustainable and political solution to the Rohingya crisis through coordinated efforts involving ASEAN, neighboring countries and other stakeholders.
The Bangladesh premier expressed gratitude to Washington for providing more than half of the international humanitarian assistance for the Rohingyas.
Earlier on Thursday, Gor held talks with the foreign minister, who described bilateral relations as moving in a "very positive direction" and said both countries were keen to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy, migration and regional affairs.
"We had a very productive discussion. Bangladesh and the United States currently enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship, and we discussed how to take it forward," Khalilur Rahman said.
The discussions covered issues including trade, investment, energy cooperation, migration, the Rohingya crisis and Bangladesh's forthcoming presidency of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Responding to questions after the meeting, the minister said there had been no discussion regarding Bangladesh's relations with China or India and rejected reports suggesting that Washington had proposed a humanitarian corridor into Myanmar.
The US Embassy said Gor's visit underscored the enduring partnership between the two countries and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh across political, economic and regional spectrums.