US, Bangladesh need to work together to sustain open investment environ

SYLHET, Oct 23: US ambassador in Bangladesh Earl R Miller said his country is working with Bangladesh to address human trafficking and increase access to services for survivors of trafficking is a top priority for the US government.

There should be effective measures to break the profit incentive for traffickers to continue exploiting vulnerable people, including prosecuting traffickers in criminal courts, he noted.

He was addressing a press briefing at the conference room of Divisional Commissioner's office on Wednesday at the end of his three-day visit to the Sylhet region.

The embassy's Counsellor of Political and Economic Affairs Brent Christensen and Anne Sherman of the Political and Economic Section also accompanied the envoy.

As the ambassador met Divisional Commissioner Mustafizur Rahman and DC Kazi Emdadul Islam today, he said, 'We discussed anti-trafficking in persons efforts in the Sylhet region and actions taken against illegal travel agencies recently."

'When the Indo-Pacific region is facing new technological, environmental, and security challenges, US and Bangladesh need to work together to sustain an open investment environment and a level-playing field for companies and to reinforce the principles and values that made possible Bangladesh's remarkable growth. This is our vision and commitment to Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi people under our Indo-Pacific Strategy."

The envoy said, "There are many places to see in Sylhet, but one of the reasons I came this time was to visit Chevron Corporation's Bibiyana Gas Plant. US companies like Chevron play a key role not only in Bangladesh's energy sector, but also as a major employer in Bangladesh's growing economy."

"We want US companies such as Chevron and others to continue to invest in Bangladesh and introduce new innovative technologies into the economy, bringing shared prosperity to more and more people - and benefiting both of our countries," he added.

"I also visited the Ratargul Swamp forest, a special biodiversity conservation area. I rode a boat through the area and got to see the incredibly diverse and beautiful flora and fauna there," he said.

Miller said conserving ecosystems such as the Ratargul are critical because they are home to protected species and provide ecosystem services such as protecting population from floods. The co-management committees were taking the lead to conserve protected areas.

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