Home ›› 14 Oct 2020 ›› World Biz
US deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun has told the Indian government Washington will be consulting it more on its neighbouring countries, as he takes a key step towards resetting ties with Bangladesh at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, reports Hindustan Times.
Biegun will be the first high-ranking US official in at least a decade to visit Dhaka.
According to people familiar with the matter, Biegun, in his discussions with India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, went over ways to strengthen the QUAD security dialogue and sought India's inputs on its neighbourhood.
They discussed bilateral cooperation on trade, including the development of common standards, a framework for investments, and building supply chains; apart from steps to help the Indian subcontinent respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, and plans to distribute a vaccine when it is ready.
The people cited above said that Shringla also briefed his US counterpart on Bangladesh, and told him about the need for Washington to engage with the Muslim-majority country, which is rising economically under the current leadership.
