US to support govt’s reform agenda

A visiting US delegation called on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday and expressed support for the reform agenda of the interim government.

They also discussed regional issues of peace, security, and development.

The delegation included Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State Nicole A Chulick and Andrew Herrup.

The Chief Adviser’s High Representative Dr Khalilur Rahman, and Head of US Embassy Tracey Ann Jacobson were also present in the meeting.

The US officials expressed deep appreciation for the generosity of Bangladesh by hosting 1.2 million Rohingyas and thanked the leadership of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus for making progress on this issue.

The Chief Adviser termed the recent identification by Myanmar government of 1,80,000 Rohingyas as fit for return to the country as an important progress.

"We appreciate your vision of looking at the Rohingya issue not in isolation but in the context of Myanmar as a whole," said Chulick.

The US officials also appreciated the Chief Adviser’s approach to enhance regional cooperation, connectivity, and people-to-people contacts.

The Chief Adviser underlined the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the commitment of the interim government to work closely with the Trump administration on the entire range of bilateral relations.

He thanked the US President Donald Trump for resuming aid for the Rohingyas and imposing a ninety-day pause on tariff hikes.

"We are continuing our work to support Trump’s trade agenda," he said.