Dhaka, Washington annual security dialogue begins

The ninth annual bilateral security dialogue between Bangladesh and the United States commenced at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday (5 September) morning.

Bangladesh delegation is led by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General (North America) Khandaker Masudul Alam, while Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Mira Resnick represents the United States.

According to statements released by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and the US Embassy in Dhaka, the dialogue's agenda includes comprehensive discussions on various topics, including military cooperation, peacekeeping, security assistance, human rights and counterterrorism.

Additionally, the two nations are set to explore avenues for cooperation in establishing a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region.

The US Embassy in Dhaka emphasised that this security dialogue aims to strengthen the overall security relationship between the United States and Bangladesh.

"The United States and Bangladesh have a strong security partnership and share many interests in the Indo-Pacific region.  Both countries share a vision to ensure the Indo-Pacific region is free, open, peaceful, and secure,"  said the US Embassy in Dhaka in a media release on 3 September.

The security dialogue is an annual, civilian-led discussion that touches on all elements of the security relationship between the two countries.

This year, the security dialogue closely follows the Bilateral Defense Dialogue, which took place on 23-24 August in Dhaka.  The Bilateral Defense Dialogue featured senior officers and civilians from the US and Bangladeshi militaries.  

During the dialogue, they discussed a range of issues specific to the military-to-military relationship, including military education, peacekeeping and upcoming military exercises, including next year's Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange.