The Plenary Session of the 6th Partnership Dialogue between Bangladesh and the United States was held in Dhaka today. Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque led the Bangladesh delegation and the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Ambassador Thomas A. Shanon led the U.S. delegation during the discussion.
The Working Group discussion preceding the Plenary Session was held in Dhaka on 1st of November 2017, where a five-member delegation from the US Department of State led by Acting Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration Simon Henshaw participated along with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Mercia Bernicat and Senior officials of the US Embassy in Dhaka. The visiting delegation included, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour (DRL) Scott Busby, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Tom Vajda and Director of the Office of Mainland Asia Patricia Mahoney among others. The Working Groups discussed issues related to trade and investment, security cooperation, development and governance and forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in detail. Bangladesh side proposed to the US side three MOUs related to agriculture, education and exchanges between Foreign Service Academy/Institute of the two countries.
In the Plenary, both sides discussed important issues of bilateral, regional and global interest and concern. The safe, sustainable and dignified return of the forcibly displaced Myanmar Nationals was discussed with utmost importance. Bangladesh side deeply appreciated the strong U.S. political and humanitarian support on the Rohingya issue. Bangladesh underlined the fact that despite the claim from the Myanmar side that the violence has stopped, but people from Myanmar are still crossing the border and coming to Bangladesh in hundreds and thousands everyday narrating stories of atrocities that are contributing to the continued influx of Rohingyas from the Rakhine State in Myanmar to Bangladesh. Bangladesh also elaborated on the initiatives undertaken by the Government in temporarily sheltering the huge number of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, and providing emergency humanitarian assistance to these hapless people. Bangladesh underscored the vital importance of sustained political pressure and actions of all kind on Myanmar Government by the international community and particularly the US Government for their early repatriation and permanently stopping the violence and removing the atmosphere of panic created by the Myanmar military and the local vigilante hate groups in Rakhine State. In this connection, Bangladesh side highlighted the five-point proposal given by Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the 72nd UNGA in New York in September 2017.
The U.S. side lauded the role of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her leadership in allowing the persecuted Rohingya Myanmar nationals fleeing the violence in their homeland in Rakhine State and providing humanitarian assistance to them. The U.S. side also assured Bangladesh side of their continued political support and actions including financial assistance to address this man-made humanitarian catastrophe of nearly unmanageable magnitude.
The Dialogue was held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides reiterated their commitment to working more closely to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries and take the relationship to greater heights. The 7th round of Bangladesh and the USA Partnership Dialogue will take place in Washington D.C. next year.