Shawdesh Desk:

The United States has said it looks forward to continued engagement with Bangladesh to advance progress on economic stability, democracy, security, and Rohingya refugees.

‘The secretary, Antony Blinken, did have a productive meeting with the adviser to the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, and looks forward to continued engagement to advance progress on all of these issues,’ US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said on October 8.

He made the remark when a journalist wanted to know how the Biden administration is navigating its relationship with Bangladesh considering the country’s challenges with economic stability, democracy, security, and Rohingyas.

‘So we continue to work with the Government of Bangladesh on all those questions,’ Miller said in a regular media briefing in Washington.

Chief adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus had separate meetings with US president Joe Biden and US secretary of state Antony J Blinken in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly recently in New York.

Both president Biden and chief adviser Professor Yunus affirmed the close partnership between the United States and Bangladesh, which is rooted in shared democratic values and strong people-to-people ties.

During the meeting, Biden welcomed further engagement between the two governments and offered continued US support as Bangladesh implements its new reform agenda.

Asked whether the US discussed anything about Bangladesh with India, Miller said, ‘I can tell you that regional issues, including Bangladesh, often come up in our meetings with the government of India, but I don’t have any specific readout to offer.’