Desk Report: Counsellor of the United States’ Department of State Derek Chollet arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day visit while leading a US delegation to Bangladesh and Pakistan from February 14 to February 18.
Later in the evening, Indian foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra arrived in the city to join foreign office consultations between Bangladesh and India scheduled for today.
The US counsellor was leading a seven-member interagency delegation to Bangladesh on February 14-15, according to a foreign ministry press release.
‘The purpose of the visit is to strengthen bilateral relations and government-to-government ties with an elevated focus on the Rohingya humanitarian response,’ it said.
The US delegation is scheduled to call on prime minister Sheikh Hasina today, in addition to holding separate meetings with foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen at the foreign ministry, said the release.
The US counsellor’s visit comes a month after the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, visited Bangladesh in January.
The Indian foreign secretary is also likely to call on prime minister Sheikh Hasina and foreign minister Momen during his two-day visit.
Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen will lead the Bangladesh side in the meeting to discuss issues of bilateral interests and review the ongoing cooperation in various sectors besides the upcoming visits of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and foreign minister AK Abdul Momen to India, foreign ministry officials said.
Vinay Kwatra flew to Dhaka after the completion of his two-day official visit to Nepal on February 13–14, according to officials.
The US delegation includes Clinton White, counsellor to the administrator at USAID, Elizabeth Horst, principal deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, US Department of State and Beth Van Schaack, ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice.
‘Counsellor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet will lead a US delegation to Bangladesh and Pakistan February 14-18 to meet with senior government officials, civil society members, and business leaders to highlight the importance of our bilateral partnership and reaffirm our countries’ shared goals,’ the US state department said in a press release earlier on the day.
In Bangladesh, the delegation will meet with senior Bangladeshi officials to discuss coordination and response to the Rohingya refugee crisis, strengthening cooperation in international forums, and advancing the security partnership between the United States and Bangladesh, said the US state department.
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