bdnews24.com :
The US Secretary of State has expressed the desire to visit Bangladesh at the “earliest possible” date.
The foreign ministry in a media statement on Tuesday said John Kerry expressed his intent in an “informal meeting” with his Bangladesh counterpart
AH Mahmood Ali in the Myanmar capital. Ali came back to Dhaka from Nay Pyi Taw on Monday after attending the 21st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting.
On the sidelines, he met his US, China, India and New Zealand counterparts.
If Kerry comes, it will be his first visit to Bangladesh.
The visit, should it take place, would be significant considering the US’s stance against the Jan 5 elections through which the ruling Awami League came to power for the second successive term.
The US did not find the elections credible as opposition BNP boycotted the poll resulting in more than half of the seats returning uncontested winners.
Washington also called for fresh elections as soon as possible under an agreed poll-time dispensation.
Hilary Clinton was the last US Secretary of State to visit Bangladesh in 2012.
