Diplomatic Correspondent: Dhaka views the ongoing visit of a high-level US delegation as a foundational step towards Washington’s meaningful engagement with Bangladesh’s interim government in implementing its reform agenda, Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin said on Sunday.
“We expect that today’s discussion has laid the foundation for how we can engage with the US in a meaningful way. The dialogue will continue in various forms in the coming days,” he told reporters after a bilateral meeting with the visiting US delegation at the state guest house Padma in the capital.
The six-member US delegation was headed by Assistant Secretary for International Finance of the US Department of Treasury Brent Neiman and comprised by US State Department Assistant Secretary for the South and Central Asia Donald Lu, among others.
The foreign secretary stated that the US delegation pledged to work with Bangladesh’s interim government in supporting reforms in the financial and revenue sectors.
The two sides had broad discussions on financial sector reforms, identified key areas that need change, and received assurances from the US side to assist in all related matters, he added.
The talks also covered labor reforms, trade facilitation, the Rohingya crisis, and Bangladesh’s eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) in the US market.
In response to a question regarding the repatriation of siphoned money, Jashim said that the issue had been raised, and Bangladesh may seek US expertise in this matter.
“We have just initiated discussion on the repatriation of illegal funds. This will take time,” he added.
The foreign secretary further informed that the delegation was briefed on the steps taken by the government to improve labor laws. “They acknowledged our initiatives and described them as significant progress,” he said.
Regarding the reinstatement of GSP facilities for Bangladeshi products, Jashim mentioned that the two sides had discussed the process for regaining Bangladesh’s access to the US market under the GSP programme.
When asked about security cooperation, the foreign secretary confirmed that no discussion was held on that subject.
On the Rohingya issue, he emphasized Bangladesh’s focus on addressing the root causes of the crisis, while the US delegation praised Dhaka’s efforts in seeking a resolution.
When asked if any issue related to India was discussed, the Foreign Secretary clarified that Bangladesh and India address their concerns through bilateral platforms.
“Such matters were not discussed in this meeting,” he added.
Regarding the possibility of a meeting between Chief Adviser Professor Yunus and US President Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Foreign Secretary explained that the US President does not hold bilateral meetings during his attendance at the UNGA.
However, there may be a reception, and if their schedules align, they could have an opportunity to meet, he added.
Earlier in the morning, the visiting delegation held a meeting with foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain and offered commitment to help expand Bangladesh’s economic opportunities, build its institutional capacity and uphold human rights.
“We are committed to helping expand economic opportunities, build institutional capacity, uphold human rights, and mitigate climate risks with our partner, Bangladesh,” the Us embassy said after the meeting.
The delegation also held a meeting with Finance and Commerce Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at the same venue in the morning.
On the sideline of the meetings, Bangladesh and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today signed the 6th amendment of the “The Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG)” at the State Guest House Padma.
Under today’s amendment, the USAID will provide $202.25 million grant to Bangladesh for its three sectors namely good governance, social, human and economic opportunity and resilience.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) Additional Secretary AKM Shahabuddin and USAID Mission Director Reed J. Aeschliman inked it on behalf of their respective sides.
