Staff Reporter :US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in capital Dhaka on a brief visit on August 29 to hold talks with Bangladesh leaders on a range of key bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.”Yes, he (John Kerry) is coming to Dhaka on August 29. We’re very delighted,” Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told journalists on Wednesday. He was talking to the journalists after attending a seminar titled ‘Implementing SDGs in Bangladesh: Challenges and Policy Options’ as the chief guest in the city.It will be Kerry’s first visit to Bangladesh after former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Bangladesh during her tenure. AH Mahmood Ali will host John Kerry in the city on August 29. According to the diplomatic sources, Kerry’s visit is being considered a major development in the relationship between Dhaka and Washington. Kerry will carry the message of US President Barack Obama that the US wants to take its ties with Bangladesh to new heights.On February 19 last year, Mahmood Ali invited his counterpart to visit Bangladesh. John Kerry responded ‘very positively’ and said he would love to take the visit at the ‘earliest opportunity’.During his brief visit in Dhaka, John Kerry will hold a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on a whole range of issues, including security cooperation, and discuss ways to strengthen the relations between the two countries. He will also meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the day.Apart from them, US Secretary of State will also hold meetings with civil society representatives and media people during his stay in Dhaka. John Kerry will be Dhaka on the morning of August 29 and leave for New Delhi later in the evening. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood said during his daylong visit to Dhaka all the aspects of Bangladesh-US relations including bilateral, regional and international and security issues will be discussed widely. “We both US and Bangladesh have long been discussing the visit and now we’re going through the preparation process for the coming visit,” he said. On the bilateral front, their focus will be on expanding cooperation in areas of security, trade and investment, science and technology, energy and environment.Replying to a query about the issues and areas expected to be discussed during the visit, the foreign minister said, “We are waiting for his arrival right now.”Meanwhile, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat on Wednesday said US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Dhaka to carry forward the ties between the two countries to a “new height”. She came up with the statement after paying a courtesy call with Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal at his office in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar yesterday.Marcia Bernicat said, John Kerry will carry the message of US President Barack Obama that the US wants to take its ties with Bangladesh to new heights.There is a scheduled event in New Delhi on August 30 titled ‘US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue’ but it could not be confirmed whether Kerry will be attending the event or not. A diplomatic source told that Bangladesh Ambassador in Washington Mohammad Ziauddin will leave for Dhaka on August 26 and arrive here on August 27. “This’s a sudden development,” the diplomat said adding that a formal announcement regarding Kerry’s visit will be available on Monday.The United States is already in discussion with Bangladesh about assistance package in countering terrorism and violent extremism taking Bangladesh’s need into consideration. US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat held several meetings at the Foreign Ministry in the past weeks, including her meeting with Foreign Minister on Sunday, but did not indicate any such high-level visit.Asked whether the US is pursuing any new agenda with Bangladesh, Bernicat earlier said there is ‘constant evolution’ more or less on the same agenda but new things may come like blue economy and opportunities that lie.Bangladesh and the United States have three prescribed talks, and Security Dialogue is one of the things they are tracking which will be held here in October.The security dialogue usually covers a broad range of topics, including strategic priorities and regional issues, security assistance, cyber-security, peacekeeping, military-to-military cooperation, and counter-terrorism.Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime and other related issues are likely to be discussed in the security dialogue, too.The 71st regular session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that will begin at UN Headquarters on 13 September.
