Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh has high expectations from the Biden Administration in terms of building a “comprehensive partnership” as the two countries want to do more to take the relations to the next level.

“This is what we’ve told our US colleagues today. Bangladesh will remain keen in this regard, with the view to work closely with the US in our journey together towards peace and prosperity,” he told reporters at a joint briefing at state guesthouse Padma after the 8th Partnership Dialogue between the two countries.

US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, who led the US side, said they have already a “very strong” 50 years of partnership and the two countries can do even more together.

Also read: Partnership Dialogue: US calls sanctions on Rab a complicated issue

She said they can do more in the area of growing business and trade, in terms of technology infrastructure, resilience of two economies, in the area of security.

Nuland said they are really pleased to be back in town to “energize and deepen” their already very strong partnership and termed Sunday’s discussion just the “appetizer” on a “very big feast” that we are going to have this year with a number of engagements.

 Masud said this year’s Partnership Dialogue is especially significant for two reasons - firstly, the two countries will be soon celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

And secondly, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic barred them from holding the regular dialogue mechanisms in the last two years.

The foreign secretary said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be holding a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 4 in Washington.

He said this Partnership Dialogue is indeed the first one with the Biden Administration, and also the first among a series of dialogues scheduled in coming months.

“Thus, Bangladesh is considering today’s discussion as the beginning of a rejuvenated robust engagement with our US friends,” he said.

Also read: ‘Thank You PM, we are integrated back into society’, say leprosy patients

The two countries are planning to have high level economic dialogue, security dialogue, separate defense dialogue apart from other engagements.

On Sunday, the two sides held “fruitful” discussion on the whole gamut of the bilateral relations between the two countries, encompassing political, economic and security domains.

Masud said Bangladesh deeply values its multifaceted relations with the United States, which is based on shared liberal values of upholding democracy and human dignity, commitment towards maintaining international peace and security and aspiration for socio-economic development of people.

The two countries also discussed the areas of “excellent mutual cooperation” like the Rohingya issue, COVID-19 vaccine support, US development assistance, capacity building in the security sector.

They also exchanged views on areas of yet untapped potentials like exchange of high-level visits, investment, trade facilitation, connectivity, stronger defence and security cooperation.

The FS said they exchanged views on Indo-Pacific Strategy, and also shared Bangladesh’s perspectives on national, regional and global security and geo-political scenario.

The Bangladesh side expressed its willingness to cooperate with each other in UN Peacekeeping operations, and expressed willingness to continue bilateral collaboration in security and defense domains.

“This is an area on which we would have further detailed discussion in the upcoming security and defense dialogues,” said the Foreign Secretary.

In the area of economic cooperation including trade and investment, he said, we look forward to having further discourse in the upcoming high-level economic partnership consultation in early June and possible next round of TICFA this year.

Responding to a question on the Ukraine issue, Nuland said this is a moment for all free nations and all free people to stand together with the people of Ukraine and say this war must end. “We had a rich conversation about that. We know what kind of society we are trying to build.”