US wants to start new chapter of relations with Bangladesh

The United States of America (USA) wants to start a new chapter of relations with Bangladesh in terms of bilateral business, investment flow, security cooperation, labour environment development, and combating climate change.

Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman made the comment while talking to journalists at his home on Sunday night after supper with a US delegation led by Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council, White House, Washington, DC.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator Michael Schiffer and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Afreen Akhter were also present at the meeting.

Salman F Rahman said, “Earlier, Joe Biden sent a letter to Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. He said they want to deepen the relationship between the two countries and start a new chapter. The delegation visiting Bangladesh also said the same thing.”

In response to questions from journalists about whether there was any discussion about the national election, the adviser said, "The election is now a thing of the past. They didn't say anything about it and neither did we.”

“Rather in the coming days, how to deepen the relationship between the two countries has been discussed.”

Talking about the Rohingya issue in the meeting, Salman F Rahman said, “America also wants the Rohingya to return to their country with dignity. At the same time, the US representatives greatly appreciated the generosity shown by Bangladesh by giving them temporary shelter. They want to help the Rohingya more.”

Mentioning that the US delegation expressed concern about the Myanmar situation, Salman F Rahman said, “They are monitoring the current situation in Myanmar and asked us to monitor it as well.”

The adviser said, “The US wants to include us in their Development Finance Program (DSP). For this, they have mentioned some conditions. These will be announced soon. We asked what conditions they have. Besides, ongoing projects with them will continue.”