Chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with US president Joe Biden on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In the last three decades, there has never been such a meeting between Bangladesh and the US.
A source at the policymaking level in the interim government confirmed this information to Prothom Alo, saying if things go as planned, the leaders of Bangladesh and the US will meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 24 September.
According to high-level sources in Dhaka and New York, the Yunus-Biden meeting was finalised from the US side on Thursday. Therefore, Dr Yunus will be traveling to New York on 23 September, a day earlier than initially planned.
Five diplomats, who have worked in New York in the past and are still in service, said a bilateral meeting between the US president and another state leader on the sidelines of the UN general assembly is quite rare.
According to them, the US president usually arrives in New York the morning of his scheduled speech at the UN general assembly. Following the address, he hosts a reception in the afternoon in honour of the heads of states and governments attending the assembly.
They also said a bilateral meeting between the US President and the leader of another country on the sidelines of the UN general assembly is very rare. In the last three decades, there has been no such meeting with a top leader from Bangladesh, while the Bangladeshi leaders always met the US president at his reception.
When asked about the significance of the Biden-Yunus meeting, multiple diplomats with senior positions said a high-level US delegation had visited Dhaka on 15 September, following the interim government’s assumption of power.
Within two weeks of the visit, president Joe Biden is set to meet with the chief adviser of the interim government. It indicates that the US is likely to extend all sorts of support to Bangladesh following the political changeover.
This trip to New York for the UN general assembly marks Dr Yunus' maiden foreign visit since taking office on 8 August. In addition to meeting Joe Biden, Dr Yunus is also scheduled to meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, World Bank president Ajay Banga and IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva.
According to analysts, Dr Yunus’ meetings in New York are significant for Bangladesh. Specifically, it signals that the interim government will enjoy robust cooperation from the west and international lenders.