US official likely to visit Dhaka next week
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia Atul Keshap is likely to visit Dhaka next week to discuss various current issues with government officials and other stakeholders. In his current role, Keshap works closely with Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal to coordinate US government policy towards Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan, comprising a diverse and strategic region of almost 1.5 billion people and over $2 trillion in economic output. Foreign Ministry sources said the Deputy Assistant Secretary is likely to arrive on February 22 and might stay for a couple of days. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, during a meeting in Washington on Tuesday, welcomed Atul Keshap for his planned visit to Dhaka in ‘late February’. Prior to his current assignment, Keshap was the United States Senior Official for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a trade body the members of which generate 55 percent of global GDP, according to a news agency.