US-Bangladesh ties to deepen as 45 executives from 25 American firms to visit Dhaka: PMO

Bangladesh and the United States have agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations, with 45 senior executives representing 25 leading American companies set to visit Bangladesh next week to explore investment and business opportunities, Prime Minister's Office (PMO) spokesperson Mahdi Amin said on Saturday.

Speaking at a press briefing outside the Prime Minister's Office, Mahdi Amin said the development followed a courtesy meeting between Prime Minister Tareq Rahman and Sergio Gor, the US President's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, during which both sides held positive discussions on taking Bangladesh-US relations to a deeper and more meaningful level.

According to Amin, the meeting was attended by Bangladesh's Ambassador to Washington, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh and senior officials of the US Embassy. The Bangladeshi side included the foreign minister, state minister for foreign affairs, the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser, the ICT adviser and the PMO spokesperson.

He said the discussions were held in a cordial atmosphere, during which the United States expressed confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Tareq Rahman and acknowledged that political stability had returned under his government. The US side also praised several policy initiatives undertaken by the government over the past five months, he added.

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment and economic development, including increasing US investment in Bangladesh, promoting bilateral trade, creating employment opportunities and ensuring policy support for investors.

Amin said that around 45 senior executives from 25 leading US industrial and business organizations will visit Bangladesh toward the end of next week. During the visit, they are scheduled to hold meetings with various ministries and government agencies and also meet the prime minister. The government expects the visit to open new avenues for investment, expand bilateral trade and strengthen long-term economic partnership.

He also said the United States had upgraded its travel advisory for Bangladesh from Level 3 to Level 2, which, according to the government, would send a positive signal to international investors, businesses and tourists by portraying Bangladesh as a stable, safe and investment-friendly destination.

Amin said both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, technology, innovation and other sectors, expressing confidence that closer collaboration would accelerate industrialization, generate employment and boost economic growth.

Separately, Prime Minister Tareq Rahman also held a meeting with representatives of the country's business community on Saturday to discuss the investment climate, industrialization, employment, trade expansion and economic growth.

The PMO spokesperson said the meeting focused on addressing power and gas shortages, strengthening energy security, reforming the tax system, introducing investment-friendly policies and resolving challenges facing the private sector. Discussions also covered removing bottlenecks to attract investment in industrial estates and economic zones managed by BSCIC, BEZA and BEPZA.

He said the government remains committed to ensuring a stable, transparent and business-friendly environment and to implementing its electoral pledges through people-oriented policies aimed at expanding employment and self-employment opportunities, particularly for young people and women.

Business leaders welcomed the government's initiatives and presented their concerns to the prime minister, who assured them that the issues would be addressed, Amin added.

-JB/HIS