Two US officials due in Dhaka to discuss reforms, Myanmar situation
Two senior officials from the US Department of State are set to visit Bangladesh mid-April, with two separate delegations. During their stay in Dhaka, a range of issues, including ongoing reform initiatives, democratic transition of Bangladesh, Rohingya crisis, and developments in Myanmar, are expected to be discussed.
According to diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Washington, Nicole Chulick, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), is expected to arrive in Dhaka on a four-day visit on 15 April.
Andrew R Herrup, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is scheduled to arrive on the next day, 16 April. Susan Stevenson, the US chargé d’affaires to Myanmar, will accompany Herrup during his visit to Bangladesh.
It is going to be the first high-level US delegation to visit Bangladesh since Donald Trump assumed office as President of the United States on 20 January.
According to diplomatic sources, Nicole Chulick is likely to meet with top officials of the interim government to discuss the ongoing reform process, particularly the country’s transition to democracy. She is expected to explore ways how the US can support the transition process in Bangladesh.
She is also likely to meet leaders of political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as civil society representatives.
Issues related to Rohingya and Myanmar will be a priority in Andrew Herrup’s visit. A senior official of the foreign ministry told Prothom Alo that the constantly changing situation in Myanmar is being considered a major barrier to the US Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).
The Myanmar junta has no control over the country, except for some specific areas. In addition to the Rohingya crisis, the country has become a hotspot for drug and arms trafficking, kidnapping, and human trafficking, especially involving women and children.
“Andrew Herrup’s Dhaka trip will feature the whole situation,” he noted.