US Special Presidential Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday, with the two sides discussing bilateral ties, US investment, the Rohingya crisis and cooperation in the health sector.
The meeting was held at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon at 9:30am.
During the meeting, Gor said the US government has strong confidence in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's leadership, adding that stability has returned to Bangladesh under his administration, says a press release.
As a reflection of that confidence, the envoy said the United States had positively revised its existing travel advisory for Bangladesh, which he said would send an important signal to American investors that the country is now ready for significant investment.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman invited greater US participation in the country’s economy, specifically proposing investments in the information technology (IT) sector and agricultural warehousing facilities for commodities such as soybeans, cotton and wheat.
He emphasised that such investments would help establish a more competitive and robust supply chain.
In response, the Special Envoy observed that Bangladesh has significant potential and could eventually become a partner in the "PAX Silica" initiative.
The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Rohingya crisis. Having visited the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar the previous day, Gor highly praised the government and the people of Bangladesh for their humanitarian spirit in sheltering the refugees.
The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude, noting that more than half of the total international assistance for the Rohingya comes from the United States.
Both sides emphasised the importance of achieving a sustainable and political solution to the crisis.
Additionally, both nations agreed to work together to resume testing activities in Bangladesh in cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The meeting was attended by high-level officials from both sides, including Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, State Minister Shama Obaed Islam, and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen, among others.