‘Discussions on lifting sanctions on RAB will continue’
Bangladesh and the United States have agreed to continue talks on lifting US sanctions on the country’s elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
The two sides made the decision in response to Bangladesh's request to lift the US embargo. The decision was taken at the 8th Security Dialogue between Bangladesh and the United States at the US State Department in Washington. The meeting began Wednesday morning and ended in the afternoon, local time in Washington.
After the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh issued a statement. Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen led Bangladesh in the meeting, the statement said, while Bonnie Jenkins represented the United States. She is the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the US State Department.
Other members of the Bangladesh delegation at the meeting included PSO Lieutenant General Waker-uz-Zaman of the Armed Forces. In addition to participating in the security dialogue, Masud bin Momen and Waker-uz-Zaman held separate meetings with the US undersecretary.
The 8th security dialogue between the two countries, held at the State Department, focused on UN peacekeeping operations, military training, maritime security, defense agreements and capacity building, and security cooperation. Regional issues such as the Rohingya issue, Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), and counter-terrorism were discussed. Besides, civil security was also discussed at the meeting.
The Security Dialogue includes positive discussions on two specialised defence agreements with the United States to purchase state-of-the-art weapons from the United States - the GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement) and the ACSA (Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement).
The United States has expressed interest in the security dialogue on assistance in the Modernisation and institutional development of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, the State Department said in a statement.
During the meeting, the United States highly appreciated Bangladesh's role in the Rohingya crisis. The United States has promised to continue to stand by Bangladesh in resolving this issue.
Bangladesh has thanked Washington for its official recognition of the genocide against the Rohingya. Bangladesh also called on the United States to take further steps to address the issue.
The statement said, the matter of IPS has been positively discussed in the security dialogue.
Bangladesh expressed its support for inclusive socio-economic development in India and the Pacific.
Bangladesh expressed deep concern over the US sanctions against RAB and its seven officials and requested the United States to consider lifting the ban on RAB. During the discussions, the important role of RAB in suppressing terrorism, violent extremism and cross-border crime was highlighted.
Bangladesh has said that the sanctions imposed on the RAB were completely unjustified.
The two sides agreed to continue discussions in the future at one stage of the talks.