Dhaka: US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Ambassador Sergio Gor has concluded his three-day maiden visit to Bangladesh, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to deepening strategic and economic ties while continuing support for resolving the Rohingya crisis.
In a statement issued after the visit from July 30 to August 1, the US Embassy in Dhaka said the tour highlighted the breadth and depth of the Bangladesh-US relationship.
During the visit, Gor met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and travelled to the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, reflecting the expanding scope of bilateral engagement.
At a meeting with the Prime Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, the two sides discussed bilateral relations, trade, investment, regional cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.
Following the meeting, Gor, who also serves as the US Ambassador to India, said strengthening economic cooperation and the broader partnership with Bangladesh remains a priority for Washington.
“Today, I had the opportunity to discuss with the Honorable Prime Minister Tarique Rahman the great opportunities between the U.S. and Bangladesh to enhance economic cooperation and strengthen our partnership. This is a priority for the United States, and together we can achieve real success,” he said in a statement released by the US Embassy.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman sought continued US investment in Bangladesh, particularly in warehousing, soybean, cotton, wheat and the information technology sector, saying such investments would help build a stronger and more competitive supply chain.
The discussions also covered expanding cooperation through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Gor assured Bangladesh that Washington would work positively to enhance US engagement through the DFC, established in 2019.
The envoy also informed the Prime Minister that US investors were interested in organising a US Investors Summit in Bangladesh in the near future and that he was personally working to facilitate the initiative.
The proposed visit of a delegation from the US-Bangladesh Business Council next month also came up during the talks.
The meeting further discussed expanding cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with Gor saying the agency would resume inspection activities in Bangladesh.
Praising Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership, the envoy said stability was returning to Bangladesh and noted that the United States had lowered its travel advisory for Bangladesh from Level 3 to Level 2.
While Level 3 advises travellers to reconsider travel, Level 2 recommends exercising increased caution.
Gor said the revised advisory reflected growing US confidence in Bangladesh’s security environment and would send a positive signal to American investors.
During his visit to Cox’s Bazar, the US envoy commended Bangladesh for hosting more than one million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and continuing humanitarian assistance.
“The United States has supported this camp and urges our partners around the world to increase their contributions,” he said.
He also stressed the need for a swift, sustainable and political solution to the Rohingya crisis through coordinated efforts involving ASEAN, neighbouring countries and other stakeholders.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed gratitude to the United States for providing more than half of the international humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya population.
Earlier, Gor held talks with Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, who described Bangladesh-US relations as moving in a “very positive direction” and said both countries were keen to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy, migration and regional affairs.
“We had a very productive discussion. Bangladesh and the United States currently enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship, and we discussed how to take it forward,” the Foreign Minister said.
The discussions covered trade, investment, energy cooperation, migration, the Rohingya crisis and Bangladesh’s upcoming presidency of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Responding to questions after the meeting, Khalilur Rahman said there had been no discussion regarding Bangladesh’s relations with China or India and rejected reports suggesting that Washington had proposed a humanitarian corridor into Myanmar.
The US Embassy said the visit underscored the enduring partnership between Bangladesh and the United States and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to strengthening cooperation across political, economic and regional sectors.
