A high powered US team to lead by US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu is likely to visit Bangladesh in mid-Sept to discuss with the interim government ways to take forward the relations between the two countries.
"Bilateral issues will be discussed with the US delegation and we will discuss how to take the relationship between the two countries forward in a changed political scenario," Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain disclosed the information during a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
The delegation is likely to include Deputy Under Secretary for International Finance at the US Department of the Treasury, Brent Neiman; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, Lindsey W Ford.
Diplomatic sources have confirmed that both Dhaka and Washington are working towards finalising the visit.
"This will be the maiden first such engagement from the US since the interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, took office," a senior official of the Foreign Ministry has said. The focus of the upcoming visit will be on how the US will engage with the interim government and what the priorities for bilateral relations will be moving forward, he added.
During the visit, the US delegation is expected to meet with Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, and Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, among others.
Experts said Bangladesh's relations with the US were strained under Sheikh Hasina lead Awami League government. However, in December 2021, Washington imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) over allegations of extrajudicial killings and in 2023, the US announced a visa policy for Bangladesh ahead of the general elections.
However, following the January 2024 elections, the US declared that the elections were neither free nor participatory.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Adviser said, releasing expatriates detained for protesting in the United Arab Emirates is a diplomatic success for Bangladesh.
"We don't want expatriates to suffer in any way. We don't want expatriates to face any problem from the time they leave Dhaka. Efforts will also be made to ensure that there is no problem even after expatriates reach their destination," he added.
