Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for continued US investment in Bangladesh particularly in warehousing, soybean, cotton, wheat and information technology.
He made the appeal during a courtesy call by US President's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon on Friday. The meeting, described as warm and cordial, covered bilateral relations, trade, investment and regional cooperation said PM's Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin.
The Prime Minister said US investment in agriculture would strengthen a competitive supply chain and stressed Bangladesh's interest in attracting US investment in IT. Both sides discussed opportunities through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), with Gor assuring that Washington would work to expand DFC cooperation.
Gor also said US investors in Dhaka hope to hold an Investor Summit in Bangladesh soon, and that a US-Bangladesh Business Council delegation may visit next month. The two sides discussed expanding cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration, with Gor pledging support for resuming FDA inspections in Bangladesh.
Gor praised the Prime Minister's leadership, noting that the US had revised its travel advisory for Bangladesh a signal, he said, that the country is ready for investment. He added that Bangladesh could become a partner in the PAX Silica initiative given its IT potential.
The Rohingya crisis also came up. Gor, who visited Cox's Bazar camps on Friday, praised Bangladesh's humanitarian role. The Prime Minister noted the US provides over half of international aid for Rohingyas and thanked Washington for its support. Gor called for a swift, coordinated political solution involving ASEAN and regional stakeholders.
Senior officials from both governments attended the meeting.
