Donald Lu to visit Bangladesh on May 14-15: state dept
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu began his travel to India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh today to strengthen bilateral cooperation with each country and demonstrate US support for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
The State Department today formally announced the trip from May 10 to 15. He is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on May 14-15.
He will meet Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, and civil society leaders to discuss US-Bangladesh cooperation, including addressing the climate crisis and deepening economic ties.
In Chennai, Assistant Secretary Lu will meet with consulate personnel to bolster bilateral engagement in southern India, said a statement of the State Department.
He will then travel to Colombo to engage with officials from across the political spectrum and deepen the United States' partnership with Sri Lanka.
"In his meetings, he will reaffirm the United States' support for Sri Lanka's economic recovery, as well as the importance of a robust civil society as a cornerstone of a free and democratic society," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen yesterday told journalists that the scope and thrust of Donald Lu's visit is likely to differ greatly from previous ones -- before the elections in Bangladesh.
"The pre-election scenario and the current one are totally different. A new government has been formed. A stable government is carrying forward its activities engaging with various countries. All countries think of engaging with Bangladesh," Momen said.
He said all elements of the mutual relations -- political, economic and even security issues will be discussed.
"We have many mechanisms, platforms and dialogues with them (US). It will be look into how all these can be reactivated and what are the mechanisms we can take forward," said the foreign secretary.
Asked about the pre-election discomfort, the foreign secretary said Bangladesh never felt discomfort. They might have felt that.
"From our side, there was no discomfort before the elections, and still we do not have any discomfort," he said.
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