Dhaka-Washington’s 8th partnership dialogue likely in March-end

Bangladesh and the United States (US) 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 confirmed 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.

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, added the official.  

In the last partnership dialogue held on June 10, 2019, in Washington DC, 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.