Bangladesh aims to improve trade ties with US: Foreign Minister

Staff Reporter  :
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said that Bangladesh is aiming to enhance its relationship with the United States by fostering a more robust trade partnership over the next 50 years.
“I am here for the good relation with the Unites States. The US is a significant destination for
investment and business, and we believe that by strengthening our ties, we can create new opportunities for growth and prosperity,” he told the journalists at the Washington DC on Monday just ahead of his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken.
“We have been looking for fostering this relationship with the US to enhance and consolidate the relation.  We will talk on the issues,” he said. Bangladesh Foreign Ministry shared a video clip of this with the local journalists here.
When asked about the issue of the self-confessed killer Rashed Chowdhury now living in US, Momen said, “We want to establish the rule of law. Rashed Chowdhury is a self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu. The US will not be a shelter for killers. It is a land of the rule of law”.
Foreign Ministry sources said, the Momen-Blinken bilateral meeting will involve discussions on how to improve trade and investment relations, lifting of sanctions on the RAB, and other mutual concerns.
The meeting will also cover ongoing cooperation between Bangladesh and the US in addressing the climate crisis, helping the Rohingya refugees, facilitating their safe return to Myanmar, and promoting regional security through UN peacekeeping operations.
Meanwhile, in the recent statements given by the US government has been focusing on providing political space for the opposition ahead of the parliamentary polls, democracy, human rights and labour issues.
Apart from it, the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) is a major part for US government policy aimed to contain China. Bangladesh, however, has not yet joined the IPS.
Bangladesh Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin on last Thursday told the journalists that Bangladesh will not deviate from its constitutional principal -Friendship to all, malice to none – and tilt towards any particular country.
Sources said that the Momen-Blinken meeting is highly significant as Bangladesh National Election is knocking at the door in the beginning of next year.