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BANGLADESH-US-IPS
Bangladesh’s ‘incredible opportunity’ is important in IPS: US
DHAKA, Sept 15, 2020 (BSS) – The US gives ample importance to Bangladesh in its Indo Pacific Strategy (IPS) considering Bangladesh as an incredible country with huge market, strong manufacturing base and strategic location, said high officials of US State Department.
“Bangladesh has enormous potentials, opportunities … it welcomes the kind of benefits that the US and its companies can bring,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia Laura Stone while addressing a virtual joint press briefing with Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) of US Embassy here JoAnne Wagner this evening.
“The US is certainly waking up and recognizing that Bangladesh is very important country,” Wagner echoed with Stone, who joined from USA.
Both the officials said that the US would continue to partner with Bangladesh as Dhaka has an essential role to play.
“We are very excited about working with Bangladesh under the auspices of IPS and also in terms of our bilateral relationship,” Wagner said adding that opportunities are incredible in Bangladesh.
They said IPS is a free, open and inclusive vision and they are very ‘positive’ on stronger partnership with Bangladesh to promote economic prosperity.
They ruled out any confusion over IPS that it is a direct counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
They said the US relationship with Dhaka is based on Bangladesh’s own distinct foreign policy under the auspicious of IPS and bilateral front.
Both the diplomats put emphasis on people to people relations between the USA and Bangladesh saying more investment and trade ties and cultural exchange need to be made in this regard.
On Rohingya crisis, they said the US is absolutely committed to find a sustainable solution to it and for that it would like to see safe, sustainable, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas.
They laid emphasis on creating conducive environment inside Myanmar as Rohingya people deserve return to their land of origin in Rakhine.
Wagner said the USA is working with its international partners in New York, Geneva and The Hague to resolve the issue as “Rohingya crisis is remain priority for USA”.
Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and other rights groups dubbed as “genocide”.
In November 2017, US President Donald Trump outlined a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific in which all countries prosper side by side as sovereign, independent states.
This vision is based on values that have underpinned peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific for generations, according to US government.
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