US Official’s Visit: Security co-op, Rohingya issue top on agenda

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The high-level US delegation, led by State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, arrived in Dhaka yesterday afternoon for a two-day visit as Washington seeks to advance the security partnership with Bangladesh and coordinate the response to the Rohingya crisis.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen received Chollet yesterday afternoon at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Chollet is leading a seven-member interagency delegation that includes Clinton White, counselor to the Administrator at the USAID; Elizabeth Horst, principal deputy assistant secretary of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US Department of State; Beth Van Schaack, ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice; and three other members.

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“In Bangladesh, the delegation will meet with senior Bangladeshi officials to discuss coordination and response to the Rohingya refugee crisis, strengthening cooperation in international forums, and advancing the security partnership between the United States and Bangladesh,” the State Department said in a statement.

The US delegation will call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and hold a separate meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen along with senior foreign ministry officials today.

“The purpose of the visit [of Chollet] is to strengthen bilateral relations and government-to-government ties with an elevated focus on the Rohingya humanitarian response,” a foreign ministry statement said.