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Senior Correspondent
Dhaka: Visiting US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor has said his government has strong confidence in Prime Minister Tareque Rahman’s leadership, noting that stability has returned to Bangladesh under his administration.
Sergio Gor made the assertion while he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tareque Rahman on Saturday morning at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, where the two sides held bilateral talks.
During the meeting, Gor said the US government has strong confidence in Prime Minister Tareque Rahman’s leadership, noting that stability has returned to Bangladesh under his administration.
“As a reflection of this confidence, the United States has positively revised its travel advisory for Bangladesh. This signals to American investors that Bangladesh is now ready for investment,” he said.
The Rohingya crisis was also a key topic of discussion. Sharing his experience from visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Gor praised the government and people of Bangladesh for continuing to provide shelter and humanitarian assistance to the displaced population.
Prime Minister Tareque Rahman noted that more than half of the international assistance for the Rohingya comes from the United States and expressed his gratitude to the US government and people for their continued support.
Gor stressed the importance of finding a sustainable political solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The two sides also agreed to work together to resume pilot activities in Bangladesh with the support of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Prime Minister invited greater US investment in Bangladesh, particularly in storage infrastructure for agricultural commodities such as soybeans, cotton and wheat. He said investments in these sectors would help build a stronger and more competitive supply chain.
He also highlighted Bangladesh’s interest in attracting more foreign investment in the information technology (IT) sector. In response, Gor said Bangladesh has significant potential in the field and could become a future partner in the PAX Silica initiative.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister Humayun Kabir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Prime Minister’s advisers Rehan Asif Asad and Mahdi Amin, Bangladesh Ambassador to Washington Tareque Md. Ariful Islam, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen, and other senior officials from both countries.
Earlier, on the first day of his visit on Thursday, Sergio Gor held bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman. Following the meeting, the United States announced an update to its travel advisory for Bangladesh, lowering the country’s overall advisory level from Level 3 to Level 2. Gor informed the foreign minister of the decision via text message, reflecting the US assessment that Bangladesh’s overall security situation has improved.
On the second day of his visit, Gor led an eight-member US delegation to inspect Rohingya camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. The delegation visited Camp-8 West, Camp-6 and Camp-4, where Rohingya refugees displayed placards appealing for their safe return to their homeland.