Bangladesh and the United States plan to hold the next round of “partnership dialogue” in March as the two sides seek to have a “deeper engagement” on core issues of mutual interest, officials say. Both sides are now in discussions to find a convenient date in the third week of March for the 8th Bangladesh-US partnership dialogue, an official told UNB on Sunday.    Issues related to cooperation on development, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, governance, particularly human rights, security, counterterrorism; and cooperation on Covid-19 front are likely to be reviewed and discussed in the partnership dialogue. Also read: Bangladesh an important security partner, says US Once the date is finalised, US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Ambassador Victoria Nuland will arrive here to co-chair the partnership dialogue with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, said a diplomatic source. Ambassador Victoria Nuland was sworn-in as Under Secretary for Political Affairs in April 2021. Prior to that, she was Senior Counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm based in Washington, DC. US Ambassador-designate to Bangladesh Peter D. Haas is likely to arrive here next month prior to the partnership dialogue, said an official.   Also read: Don’t believe wholesale sanctions on Bangladesh warranted: Congressman Meeks In the last partnership dialogue held on June 10, 2019 in Washington D.C., the two countries discussed issues regarding freedom of expression and assembly; protection of human rights and combating trafficking in persons. The two governments in the last partnership dialogue also agreed to continue to “cooperate closely” to advance a shared vision of a “free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and secure” Indo-Pacific region.

The US Embassy in Dhaka on Sunday said the voluntary return of the US citizens to their own country by the two chartered flights exemplifies the strong and enduring cooperation, people-to-people ties and friendship between Bangladesh and the United States.