Dhaka and Washington affirmed to renewal of its commitment to deepen and expand bilateral ties, strengthen collaboration on areas of mutual interest.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and the US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma made this commitment jointly at a meeting at New York before his tour to Washington and is scheduled to leave Washington on October 14.
"Their discussions focused on the US technical and financial support to reform initiatives of the interim government and addressing challenges, Rohingya issue, labour law reforms, etc," a Foreign Ministry release said on Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin, currently on an official visit to the US, has held series of productive meetings with high officials of the State Department in Washington DC on the reform initiatives taken by the Bangladesh's interim government, the release said.
At the meeting with the US Under-Secretary Uzra Zeya, the foreign secretary had fruitful discussions on the reforms of the democratic institutions and upholding of democratic values, accountability of human rights violations, humanitarian response and sustainable solutions to the Rohingya crisis, and labour rights issues.
The meeting reflects the strong and growing cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States (US) in promoting democratic values and addressing key human rights concerns.
They covered interim government's reform agenda, democratic transition, economic and security issues, regional stability, Rohingya crisis, labour law etc.
It said the Foreign Secretary had a separate meeting with acting US Under Secretary for Political Affairs John Bass and discussed ways to deepen bilateral collaboration building on the momentum in the Bangladesh-US relationship and to advance impactful cooperation in priority areas.
He also had discussions on diverse issues at a meeting with US Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South Asia Lindsey W Ford at the White House.
Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin met Brendan Lynch, Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia and discussed mutual cooperation to diversify export, DFQF access of RMGs produced from cotton imported from US, simplification of registration and reduction of registration fees for pharmaceutical products, labour law reforms, and access to US International Development Finance Cooperation (DFC).
A lunch meeting between the Foreign Secretary and key officials focused on a wide range of issues of mutual interests.
US officials include Assistant Secretary Ambassador Donald Lu, Acting Assistant Secretary Marta C. Youth, Deputy Assistant Secretary Nicole Chulick, Deputy Assistant Secretary Monica Ager Jacobsen, as well as Director Alla P. Kamins.
At a separate meeting with Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs John Bass, they discussed ways to deepen bilateral collaboration building on the momentum in the Bangladesh-US relationship and to advance impactful cooperation in priority areas.
