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.

Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, the third-ranked official at the US Department of State, arrived here on Saturday afternoon to attend “Partnership Dialogue” with Bangladesh set for Sunday. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen who will lead the Bangladesh delegation at the 8th dialogue, welcomed Victoria Nuland at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 05:10pm, said an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nuland will meet Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen during her visit. She is here as part of her tri-nation visit to South Asia as she will be visiting India and Sri Lanka  where she sees US' partnerships are vital to strengthening peace, prosperity, and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Also read: US Under Secretary Nuland due Saturday to deepen ties with Bangladesh During her March 19-23 visit to Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka with an interagency delegation, Nuland will underscore U.S. commitment to, and cooperation with, Indo-Pacific partners, according to the US Department of State.

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.