The eighth US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue will be held on Sunday in the city eying to heal the strains in the bilateral ties caused by the recent US sanctions on RAB, officials said.
US Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Ambassador Victoria Nuland, who will lead the crucial dialogue, arrived on Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will lead the Bangladesh side in the three-hour meeting, which will also focus on Indo pacific strategy, human rights, labour issues, trade and security cooperation.
The US seeks to deepen strong and multifaceted ties built with mutual respect and shared interest, officials of the US Embassy told the FE.
“In the dialogue, we will discuss opportunities to expand a robust relationship, ways we can further enhance close ties on a range of areas of cooperation,” they said.
"As the issue of sanctions on RAB is an important one for us, we will obviously raise it and present a true picture," the official said.
They said sanctions on RAB will not harm the ties and there are rooms for further discussions.
Officials of Bangladesh foreign ministry gave the indication that sanction issues will be raised in the dialogue with a priority and Bangladesh will make it clear that such attempts like sanction should follow proper communication between the two sides.
Asked the US officials said that though the US has allocated a huge amount of money to support Ukraine in the ongoing war, it will not disrupt the US funding for Rohingyas.
They also said that Indo Pacific strategy issue will come when regional security matters will be discussed.
Washington also wants Dhaka to sign two defence agreements -- General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) and the Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which US officials say are "foundational agreements" meant to strengthen defence relationships.
These issues may also come up during the dialogue, but there will be a detailed discussion on security issues when Bangladesh will hold security dialogue with the US on April 6.
Meanwhile, in a press statement issued on Saturday, the US Embassy said Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will travel March 19-23 to Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka with an interagency delegation to underscore US commitment to, and cooperation with, Indo-Pacific partners.
Under Secretary Nuland will hold Partnership Dialogues in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi.
At each stop, Under Secretary Nuland and the delegation will meet with civil society and business leaders to strengthen economic partnerships and deepen ties in the pursuit of peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Other senior members of the delegation include Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory.
