US delegation discusses reform, trade, Rohingya with CA

A visiting US delegation called on the chief adviser (CA) on Thursday and expressed support for the reform agenda of the interim government.

They discussed regional issues of peace, security, and development, said a spokesman for the CA Office.

Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State Nicole A. Chulick and Andrew Herrup were among the members of the delegation. Bangladesh's National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman and the Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Dhaka, Tracey Ann Jacobson, were present at the meeting.

The US officials expressed deep appreciation for Bangladesh for hosting 1.2 million Rohingyas and thanked the leadership of CA Professor Muhammad Yunus for making progress on this issue.

The CA said that the recent identification of 180,000 Rohingyas by Myanmar government as fit for returning to Rakhine is an important progress.

"We appreciate your vision of looking at the Rohingya issue not in isolation, but in the context of Myanmar as a whole," said Chulick.

The US officials also appreciated the CA's approach to enhance regional cooperation, connectivity, and people-to-people contacts.

CA Yunus underlined the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the commitment of the interim government to work closely with the Trump administration on the entire range the relations. He thanked the US President Donald J. Trump for resuming aid for the Rohingyas and ninety-day pause in the application of reciprocal tariffs. "We are continuing our work to support his trade agenda," he said.

Meanwhile, in his meeting with the visiting US delegation, National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman discussed major regional issues of peace and security and key aspects of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and US.

They also discussed the Rohingya issue and the situation in Myanmar at length.

The US delegation expressed appreciation for the approach of Bangladesh to address the issue.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com