Staff Reporter :
A six-member US delegation, led by Brent Neiman, Deputy Under Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury, is scheduled to visit Dhaka for a three-day trip starting on Saturday.
The delegation includes Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State, and Anjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia at USAID. They will be arriving via Delhi, not directly from Washington.
According to information from the US Embassy in Dhaka, Donald Lu is currently in India co-chairing the Washington-Delhi Defense Intercession Dialogue. The delegation will then proceed to Dhaka and is expected to depart on September 16.
During their stay, the US representatives are slated to meet with Chief Adviser to the Interim Government Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain, Finance and Trade Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, and Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin.
Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin commented on the visit, stating, “The US delegation is arriving shortly after the Interim Government took office.
The discussions will focus on strengthening relations with Bangladesh in light of the recent political changes following the student-led uprising.
Washington is also keen to understand Bangladesh’s current needs in overcoming its crises and assisting with recovery efforts.”
Donald Lu’s visit to Bangladesh is seen as particularly significant, given the evolving nature of Dhaka-Washington relations.
This marks the first high-level US visit since the Interim Government was formed following the toppling of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5.
In recent years, relations between the Hasina government and the US had been strained. Ahead of Bangladesh’s last parliamentary election, the US government introduced a new visa policy, stating that those interfering in the democratic process would face visa restrictions.
Despite the policy, Sheikh Hasina proceeded with the election, which saw a boycott by many political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Donald Lu had attempted to mediate the political deadlock by encouraging dialogue between the Awami League and BNP, but the Awami League refused, moving forward with the election without BNP participation.
With the Hasina government no longer in power, the US is now looking to strengthen its ties with the interim government. Lu’s visit is seen as a key step in this process.