Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud hoped that Dhaka and Washington would further deepen and widen with the visit of US officials to Bangladesh.
“Their visit to Bangladesh will make the relations deeper and wider,” he said while replying to a question ahead of US Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Afreen Akhter’s visit on Thursday.
She will arrive on Saturday and have a meeting with her counterpart, the director general of the foreign ministry's America wing, during the three-day visit, among others.
This is the first visit by any US official after Bangladesh’s January 7 general election.
The US did not find the election free and fair, but said they would continue to engage with Bangladesh to advance common interests.
President Joe Biden wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressing his willingness to work together to achieve Bangladesh's economic goals.
He also expressed willingness to partner with Bangladesh on their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
President Biden said in his letter: “The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh's ambitious economic goals and partnering with Bangladesh on our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
As the two countries embark on the next chapter of the US-Bangladesh partnership, the US president said he wanted to convey the sincere desire of his administration to continue their work together on regional and global security, economic development, climate change and energy, global health, humanitarian support, especially for Rohingya refugees, and more.
The foreign minister said the letter sent by the US president to the prime minister was important to take forward relations between the two countries.
The US considers Bangladesh an important regional partner on economic, climate, humanitarian, and security priorities.
The two governments often discuss steps to promote security, protect human rights, the rule of law, and freedom of expression, and ways to continue to work closely together to advance a shared vision of a free and open, prosperous, inclusive, peaceful, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
Bangladesh now stands as the largest recipient of US assistance in Asia.
US assistance supports sustainable agriculture and increased food security, modernizing small-scale farming, strengthening the trade and business environment, adapting to climate change, conserving biodiversity, improving public health and education, preparing for and responding to disasters, and promoting democratic institutions and practices, including the labour sector and workers’ freedom to assemble.
The United States and Bangladesh have cooperated closely to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bangladesh has been the top recipient of US-donated Covid-19 vaccines through COVAX.
