During his visit, he would meet with government officials,
civil society leaders, and other Bangladeshis to discuss US-Bangladesh
cooperation, including addressing the climate crisis and deepening economic
ties, according to a statement of the US embassy in Dhaka.
The US assistant secretary is scheduled to pay a courtesy
call on foreign minister Hasan Mahmud and hold a meeting with foreign secretary
Masud Bin Momen at the ministry.
Arriving in Dhaka on a three-day visit, Donald Lu on Tuesday
had a meeting with civil society representatives at the residence of the US
ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas in the afternoon before joining a dinner at
the Gulshan residence of prime minister’s private industry and investment
adviser Salman F Rahman, officials in Dhaka confirmed.
The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, rights activist Nur Khan
Liton, environmental activist Sohanur Rahman and labour leaders Kalpona Ahter
and Babul Akter were present in the meeting with Lu at the ambassador’s
residence.
Law minister Anisul Huq, state minister for commerce Ahsanul
Islam, state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat,
former state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam and foreign
secretary Masud Bin Momen, among others, attended the dinner hosted by Salman F
Rahman.
During his previous visit in January 2023, he had a
breakfast meeting with Salman at his residence.
Asked about specific reason why on the third visit to
Bangladesh within 17 months the US assistant secretary was not holding meeting
with any political party leaders unlike his previous two visits, the US state
department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a routine press briefing in
Washington on May 13 that a lot of factors went into whom their government
officials met with or not.
‘A lot of factors go into who our government officials meet
with or not—the schedule, time of day, lots of other things. Assistant
secretary Lu is on a swing through a number of South Asian
countries—specifically India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He is there to
strengthen bilateral cooperation with each country and to demonstrate US
support for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,’ he said,
‘In Bangladesh, he will meet with government officials,
civil society leaders, and other Bangladeshis to talk about deepening our
US-Bangladeshi cooperation, including deepening our economic ties in ways that
we can collaborate further to address climate issues,’ Patel said, responding
to a question whether the US had shifted its position on internal political
matters of Bangladesh.
Foreign minister Hasan Mahmud said that the issues relating
to the US visa policy for Bangladesh announced before the January 07 elections
and Dhaka’s call for withdrawal of restrictions on the Rapid Action Battalion
might come up during the visit of Donald Lu.
He said that Bangladesh had a very good relation with the
US, and president Joe Biden, in a message to prime minister Sheikh Hasina
conveyed on her assumption of office for the fourth consecutive term in
January, expressed his willingness to take the relation to a new height.
In September 2023, the US Department of State announced that
it had started imposing visa restrictions on individuals involved in
undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.
The announcement came at a time when the Election Commission
of Bangladesh started making preparations for the January 07 election.
In December 2021, the US imposed sanctions against seven
former and serving officials of the RAB and the force itself over allegations
of rights abuse.
Dhaka on several occasions called upon the US authorities
for the withdrawal of the sanctions.
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