Bangladesh and the United States will “further follow-up” on discussions that the two countries had over the last few months as US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele J Sison will visit Dhaka soon.
Bangladesh’s demand for withdrawal of US sanctions on its elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Rohingya issue are expected to be discussed during the visit.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, in this regard, said, “We have multi-faceted relationship with the United States,” adding that many issues can be discussed. He said they are known to each other and will be able to have “free and frank” discussion on many issues.
The US assistant secretary is currently visiting India as part of her tri-nation visit (India, Bangladesh and Kuwait) from August 2-10. “We discussed India’s role as a global development leader and our partnership on food security, global health and more,” she tweeted after a meeting with the UN team in India.
US assistant secretary Sison will have consultations on a range of US multilateral priorities, including combating food insecurity, advancing global health, addressing human rights and humanitarian needs, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and support for Rohingya refugees during her stay in Bangladesh.
Her meetings with senior government officials will focus on opportunities to deepen their cooperation at the United Nations, and US support for the candidacy of Doreen Bogdan-Martin to become the next Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, according to the US Department of State. In meetings with civil society leaders, the US assistant secretary will exchange ideas on how the United States and other countries can collaborate on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
