BANGLADESH

US looks ahead to next 50-yr partnership with Bangladesh: Blinken

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the 50-year anniversary of bilateral relations with Bangladesh is an opportunity to advance the Washington-Dhaka partnership to next 50 years.

“I look forward to meeting you (Momen) in Washington,” Blinken said in a recent letter to foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, foreign ministry said here today.

Bangladesh foreign minister is now in Washington DC to hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart at the US department of State today marking the 50-year anniversary.

He added: “It will be an opportunity to look ahead to the next 50 years of our partnerships.”

The Secretary of State appreciated the close cooperation between US and Bangladesh to keep the two countries peoples safe from the threat of terrorism, trafficking in persons, and illicit drugs.

Blinken said the US and Bangladesh enjoy deep and enduring collaboration on strengthening economic ties and investment, addressing the climate crisis, improving mechanisms for regional security and peacekeeping operations and finding long term solutions for displaced Rohingyas.

“As a measure of our appreciation for our 50-year partnership, we provided almost 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to help Bangladeshi people,” he wrote.

Meanwhile in a video message today Blinken said “I’m delighted to join you in celebrating five decades of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the United States”.

The US Secretary of State said he looks forward to seeing what people of the two countries will build together in the decades ahead as “we continue to follow that star of freedom”.

He said on April, 1972, President Richard Nixon sent a letter to Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Rahman, establishing diplomatic ties, predicting that the ties and goodwill between our people would grow for years to come.

“Fifty years later, our countries collaborate on virtually every issue that matters to our people and the ties between Bangladeshis and Americans grow deeper and more intertwined with every generation,” he said.

Blinken said the two countries have forged partnerships to improve public health, strengthening local health systems, bringing down maternal mortality and fighting COVID-19 in Bangladesh with 61 million doses of safe, effective vaccines provided by the US.

In 2021, he said, the US bought more Bangladeshi products than any other country did, representing some $8.3 billion. “We encourage Bangladesh to make progress on workers’ rights to deepen our robust economic partnership,” he added.

The Secretary of state said the US and Bangladesh are tackling the climate crisis together, strengthening the resilience of communities that are already being affected by rising sea levels and more severe storms.

“We address humanitarian crises and conflicts together, from responding to natural disasters to supporting Bangladesh’s role as one of the largest contributors of troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations,” he said.

He commended Bangladesh for hosting nearly 1,000,000 displaced Rohingyas and for continuing to offer support for those efforts. “We’re working together to help Rohingya who have fled genocide and crimes against humanity committed by the military in Burma,” he added.

Blinken further said Bangladeshis have made tremendous contributions to the US for generations.

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