By Anisur Rahman
Dhaka, Sep 15 (PTI): A high-level US delegation Sunday met Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus here and assured him of expanding economic and political ties to create a more equitable and inclusive future for the people in the South Asian country.
The delegation led by Assistant Secretary for International Finance at the US Department of the Treasury Brent Neiman met Yunus at the State Guest House in Dhaka. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, who arrived in Dhaka on Saturday from India, also joined the delegation.
“Our delegation met with the Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, affirming our dedication to fostering inclusive growth, institution building and development to benefit the people of Bangladesh. As Bangladesh looks to chart a more equitable and inclusive future, the US stands ready to support those efforts,” the US embassy here said in a post on X after the meeting.
The meeting came as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said it will provide USD 202.25 million in aid to Bangladesh to advance development, empower youth, strengthen democracy, improve health and expand trade and economic opportunities to people.
“Driving greater prosperity: @USAID signed an agreement worth over $200 million with the Bangladesh interim government to advance development, empower youth, strengthen democracy & governance, improve health and expand trade & economic opportunities to people across the country,” the USAID-Bangladesh said in a post on X.
The development came more than a month after Yunus, known for his close relations with Washington, was installed Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina who fled the country on August 5 amidst student-led mass protests.
The chief adviser’s office said that during hour-long talks with the delegation, Yunus sought US support to “rebuild the country, carry out vital reforms, and bring back stolen assets” outlining the challenges of his interim administration.
The 84-year-old Nobel Laureate said that soon after assuming charge of the country, his administration moved quickly to “reset, reform, and restart” the economy, initiate reforms in financial sectors, and fix institutions such as the judiciary and police.
“This is a very important time for us and a significant moment in our history,” Yunus said, referring to the student-led revolution that culminated in the toppling of the Awami League government’s nearly 16-year-long regime.
Yunus described an outline of his reform initiatives saying six commissions were set up barely weeks after his government took over to “prevent vote rigging, reform the judiciary, police, civil administration, the country’s anti-graft agency, and amend the constitution”.
He said his government was committed to getting back the stolen assets siphoned off by corrupt individuals linked with the previous autocratic regime. “We were in an ocean of corruption” during the past regime, he added.
“Washington DC would be happy to support his reform agenda” and they were eager to offer technical and financial assistance for reforms being carried out by the Interim Government, the US delegation said.
The Chief Adviser’s special envoy on international affairs, Lutfey Siddiqi, senior secretary and head of SDG affairs Lamiya Morshed, foreign secretary Mohammad Jashim Uddin and Economic Relations Division secretary M Shahriar Kader Siddiky also attended the meeting.
A US State Department spokesperson earlier said the delegation’s discussions with Bangladesh leaders and officials would focus on how the US can contribute to the South Asian nation’s economic growth, financial stability, and development priorities.
The US was one of the first countries to welcome Yunus’ installation and this is the first delegation from Washington to visit Bangladesh following the formation of the interim government on August 8.
Earlier, the US delegation met separately with Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain and Finance and Commerce Affairs Adviser Salahuddin Ahmed and conveyed a commitment to help expand Bangladesh’s economic opportunities, build its institutional capacity, and uphold human rights.
“Great to meet the Foreign Affairs Advisor at Padma House! We are committed to helping expand economic opportunities, build institutional capacity, uphold human rights, and mitigate climate risks with our partner, Bangladesh,” the US Embassy in Dhaka posted on X after the meeting.
“We support Bangladesh’s path towards renewed dynamism and growth. Our engagement with top economic policymakers centred on the authorities’ efforts to propel economic growth, job creation, and sustainability, including through engaging with international financial institutions,” it said in another post on X.
Officials said the delegation attended a working lunch hosted by the Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin at the state guest house Padma where senior Bangladeshi officials representing different ministries and offices including home, commerce, economic affairs and Bangladesh Bank were present.
Emerging from the meeting, Jashim Uddin said they discussed in detail Bangladesh-US cooperation and Washington’s assistance based on the delegation’s meeting with the chief adviser.
He said the delegation is expected to meet as well later on Sunday with Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan H Mansur expectedly on financial sector reforms and return of siphoned off money from abroad.
The US-Bangladesh ties deteriorated and saw its lowest ebb in recent months when Hasina in public alleged that the US was out to see her ouster as she declined to serve its strategic interest compromising Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
