Bangladesh and the United States will hold a series of meetings this month to boost bilateral relations between the two countries, focusing on political, security and trade ties.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque will visit Washington, DC from September 21 to 22 where he will meet with Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman.
On September 11, the fourth Bangladesh-US Security Dialogue will be held in the US capital.
Assistant United States Trade Representative Michael J Delaney will visit Dhaka on September 19 on a four-day visit to negotiate the resumption of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility for Bangladesh.
A Foreign Ministry official, seeking anonymity, said: “All issues including the repatriation of Bangabandhu’s killers will likely come up during the discussions with State Department officials.”
“The foreign secretary will hold meetings with the AFL-CIO, an influential US federation of trade unions,” the official said.
The powerful trade union group opposes extending the GSP to Bangladesh.
A USTR delegation will visit Dhaka on September 19 to discuss the GSP action plan.
“The visit of the assistant trade representative is very important. He will report to the GSP committee on the progress of labour standards in Bangladesh,” he said.
The fourth Bangladesh-US Security Dialogue will discuss strategic priorities, counterterrorism and other security related issues.
The acquisition of four Lockheed C-130 military transport aircraft will be discussed at the meeting.