UNB, Dhaka :
US Ambassador Earl Miller has expressed willingness to work closely with Bangladesh government to follow up the discussion that Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen had in Washington DC with his counterpart and other high dignitaries.
Both sides also expressed satisfaction about the upcoming launch of the US-Bangladesh Business Council this month.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen invited US Secretary of State to visit Bangladesh this year to participate in the celebration of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of independence, visit the
Rohingya camps and witness the socio-economic development of the country.
Ambassador Miller informed that a high-level dignitary from the US government is likely to visit Bangladesh in near future to attend the year-long celebration.
He also stated that there is a possibility of receiving video message from the US leadership on the occasion of the upcoming 10-day long celebration this month.
The Ambassador met the Foreign Minister on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They mainly discussed the Foreign Minister’s recent official visit to Washington DC on February 23-27.
Dr Momen termed his visit to the US a successful one, and said that he had a “very fruitful discussion” with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Miller also informed that he had received good feedback from his Capital on the meeting.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen also informed the Ambassador about his talks, during the visit, with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and five US lawmakers; and his participation in three events organised by US Chambers, Newlines Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) respectively.
He recalled that he had requested the US Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy on Rohingya in order to monitor and put pressure on Myanmar to ensure safe and dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced population.
He urged the US lawmakers he had met to support this idea and demand the same. He also called for suspension of GSP facility and imposition of economic sanction on Myanmar by the US.
He also reiterated, during the visit, Bangladesh’s strong expectation that the US Administration would facilitate the deportation of Rashed Chowdhury, the convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman soon.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister also called for legalisation of undocumented Bangladeshis in the US during his meetings with US lawmakers.
He sought US cooperation for introducing more renewable energy in Bangladesh, specially through promoting electric vehicles.
During the meeting with the US Chambers, Foreign Minister Dr Momen asked for a three-year moratorium on US tariff on Bangladesh’s exports, and also proposed that Bangladeshi readymade garments can be exempted from tariff in exchange for fulfilling the condition of using US cotton.
He and US Special Envoy Kerry agreed to continue close collaboration between two countries in the area of climate change.
Dr Momen also invited the US lawmakers to visit Bangladesh in a group in the near future.
He also informed the US Ambassador about his attending a ceremony at a Bangladeshi-owned university during his visit.
