US Undersecretary of State Stephen Biegun told the Indian government that Washington will consult him more on its neighboring countries as he takes a key step in reestablishing ties with Bangladesh in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday.
Biegun will be the first senior US official in at least a decade to visit Dhaka.
According to people familiar with the matter, Biegun, in his discussions with India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, discussed ways to strengthen QUAD’s security dialogue and sought input from India in his neighborhood.
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They discussed bilateral cooperation in trade, including the development of common standards, a framework for investment and the creation of supply chains; in addition to steps to help the Indian subcontinent respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, and plans to distribute a vaccine when it is ready.
The people quoted above said Shringla also briefed his American counterpart on Bangladesh and told him about the need for Washington to engage with the Muslim-majority country, which is growing economically under the current leadership.
Former US Secretaries of State John Kerry and Hilary Clinton had indicated their intention to visit Dhaka, but did not make the trip. India has long encouraged the United States to engage with Bangladesh under Hasina’s leadership, saying the country has moved away from a more radical approach under Khaleda Zia.
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Experts note that the undeclared backdrop to this is also that China has made great strides in Bangladesh, with the latter purchasing more than 80% of its military equipment from Beijing, including artillery weapons and ammunition. While India had offered $ 500 million as credit to Dhaka to buy military hardware during then-Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit in 2018, defense cooperation between the two neighbors is still in progress.
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