US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has said his country “looks forward to growing its defense cooperation” with Bangladesh in addition to deepening ties between the two countries on key fronts. “I’m excited about the possibilities for collaboration on the economy, development, public health, security, and climate change,” he said after his meeting today (September 13, 2022) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They discussed Bangladesh’s successes and the two countries’ strong bilateral partnership over the past 50 years. Read: 81,000 textbooks, funded by Japan, handed over at Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp “We set the stage for our nations’ next 50 years of ties,” said the US Embassy quoting Ambassador Haas. The Ambassador and the Prime Minister discussed 50 years of partnership between the United States and Bangladesh and ways the countries can deepen this partnership. “We discussed our cooperation on a range of topics, including economic development, security, climate change, Rohingya refugee assistance, and COVID-19,” Ambassador Haas said. He acknowledged Bangladesh’s remarkable economic progress, its leadership in climate change, its generosity in sheltering Rohingya refugees, and its tremendous contribution to global peacekeeping operations. Ambassador Haas reaffirmed the United States’ continued support of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities. Read: “Bangladesh suffering from greenhouse gas impact caused by the developed world” “During our meeting, I told the Prime Minister that I think one of our proudest joint achievements was in how we worked together to respond to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Ambassador Haas. “I commend Bangladesh’s effort to vaccinate over 70 percent of its entire population” he added.  The United States has donated nearly 88 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, contributed over $140 million in COVID-19 related development and humanitarian assistance, and collaborated closely with Bangladesh to distribute this assistance throughout the country.