Dhaka and Washinton will work closely on reaching the multilateral relations between two countries to a new height in the coming days as a high-powered USA delegation will arrive in Dhaka on Saturday during their maiden visit to Bangladesh after the formation of interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on 8 August, sources in Dhaka and Washington DC said. 

American Chamber of Commerce President Syed Ershad Ahmed while talking to the Dazzling Dawn said that the visit of the USA delegation and new environment in Bangladesh show that Bangladesh's engagement with the USA in multilateral sectors will grow, especially in trade and investment.

 Sharing his personal experience with the daily, Country Manager & Managing Director of  Expeditors (Bangladesh) Ltd said members of Foreign Investors and Chamber of Industry (FICCI) and American Chamber of Commerce are happy about the new business environment in Bangladesh. He said harassment of businessmen by the National Board of Revenue--–specially tax, VAT and income tax departments --- has decreased substantially nowadays that will also give a positive signal to USA investors.

Referring to the meeting with business leaders with Chief Adviser Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the Hotel Intercontinental on Thursday, Syed Ershad Ahmed said business leaders are now convinced that the interim government has outlined a roadmap that will bring in new investment.

Syed Ershad Ahmed will join a breakfast meeting with The USA delegation in Dhaka on Saturday morning.

He said that the economy has been damaged in the last 15 years during the tenure of the last Prime Minister and the interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has  a daunting task to heal the economy and put it on the right track.

He said a number of IT companies who lost business during the turmoil period are getting back their business and some USA software companies are putting in increasing orders nowadays.

Syed Ershad Ahmed said  that Washington’s engagement with Dhaka will increase in the coming days as Bangladesh is likely to see increased USA investment in the coming days with a better environment. He said Bangladesh should work on improving the business environment in order to woo FDI…..

Syed Ershad Ahmed said improved human rights index, curtailing corruption and ensuring security to business establishment are also important to woo USA investment in Bangladesh ....

Though the USA lost position to the UK last year, Syed Ershad Ahmed said that  the cumulative investment by the USA companies over the years is still highest in Bangladesh.

Though the USA retained the top position in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh over the years, the previous calendar year saw the United Kingdom regain the top position in a changing environment...

According to the Bangladesh Bank data, UK investors reigned top position with 560.68 million US dollars followed by US companies with 354.19 million US dollars. Bangladesh attracted FDI worth 3479.95 million during the last year.

The USA delegation includes Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey W. Ford, US Deputy Under Secretary/Assistant Secretary for International Finance Brent Neiman,  US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu..

Bangladesh looks forward to having a "multi-dimensional" discussion as it prepares to welcome the first US delegation after the formation of an interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on 8 August. 

The Bangladesh-US relations that suffered heavily during the later part of Sheikh Hasina's regime in holding a credible, transparent, peaceful and reliable parliament election.

Bangladesh looks forward to having a "multi-dimensional" discussion as it prepares to welcome the first US delegation after the formation of an interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on 8 August, Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin ahead of the visit.

"The arrival of the first team of the United States [during this tenure] is a great reflection of the importance they attach to the relationship with Bangladesh. This implies that this discussion will be multi-dimensional; it will not be limited to just one topic," said  Md Jashim Uddin.

The US delegation will meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed apart from their other engagement.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh-US relations suffered heavily during the later part of Sheikh Hasina's regime in holding a credible, transparent, peaceful and reliable parliament election.

Sheikh Hasina, initially was elected through 2008 parliament election, and but later turned a brutal dictator through fraudulent and one-sided parliament elections held in 2014, 2018 and 2024 destroyed every constitutional bodies during 2014-2024 period.

Even Peter Haas, the last US Ambassador to the USA, left Bangladesh without getting a chance of a farewell call with then  Prime Minister Sheikh and incumbent  President Mohammed Shahab Uddin, sources said.  

The last Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina had developed personal rivalry with USA policy makers and diplomats over establishing democracy, human rights and ensuring transparent political and election processes. Even sometimes the Iron lady humiliated the USA policy makers and diplomats on their policy.

The US delegation will meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed apart from their other engagement.

Foreign Secretary Jashim will host a working lunch where representatives from the relevant ministries will attend. 

"US and Bangladeshi officials will discuss how the United States can support Bangladesh's economic growth, financial stability and development needs," a Spokesperson at the US Department of State said.

"I don't want to make any kind of comments before the discussion starts, which would undermine the normality of the discussion," said the Foreign Secretary when asked about the specific agenda.

Responding to a question, Foreign Secretary Jashim said the government wants to move to a mutually beneficial relationship with everyone.

The people of Bangladesh have historically had an interest in international affairs, he added.

Throughout his trip, Assistant Secretary Lu will reaffirm the United States' commitment to supporting "our partners' economic growth and promoting stability throughout the Indo-Pacific region."

The delegation will include representatives from the US Department of the Treasury, USAID, and Office of the US Trade Representative.

Any visit by the US delegation is always important, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey W. Ford and US Deputy Under Secretary/Assistant Secretary for International Finance Brent Neiman will join the US delegation.

In this role, Ford serves as the principal adviser to senior leadership within the Department of Defence for all policy matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defence strategies and plans for the region.

Her area of responsibility includes bilateral security relations with India and all other South Asian countries, except Afghanistan; and with the nations of Southeast Asia.

Neiman serves as the Deputy Under Secretary for International Finance at the US Department of the Treasury.

The foreign affairs adviser said they will discuss issues which are achievable and stressed that US visa policy will not affect the relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the United States has lowered its travel advisory for Bangladesh from Level 4 to Level 3, urging its citizens to reconsider travel rather than avoiding it entirely. This adjustment signals a perceived reduction in immediate threats to US nationals.

The revised advisory was issued shortly before a US delegation's scheduled visit to Bangladesh.

The level was raised to 4, the highest level, when the US asked its nationals not to travel to Bangladesh amid student protests in July and August.

"Reconsider travel to Bangladesh due to civil unrest, crime, and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk," reads the latest travel advisory. In its country summary, the US said since July 2024 "civil unrest, violent clashes" have largely ended, but conditions may change on short notice.

US citizens are reminded to avoid all gatherings, even peaceful ones, that could turn violent with little or no warning.

Bangladesh and the United States will discuss how the US can support Bangladesh's economic growth, financial stability and development needs as Dhaka will welcome a delegation from the US within a couple of days…..

Meanwhile, trade, investment, democracy, human rights, political process, energy, money laundering and Indo-Pacific Outlook (IPO) strategy  are likely to dominate the Bangladesh–USA talks to be held in mid –September, sources in Dhaka and Washington said.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh-US relations suffered heavily during the later part of Sheikh Hasina's regime in holding a credible, transparent, peaceful and reliable parliament election.

Meanwhile, in a significant geo-political move, the Bangladesh government in April 2023 announced a 15-point Indo-Pacific Outlook (IPO), apparently, to express its solidarity with the US-led Indo-Pacific Stra.

Most of the US allies, including Japan, Australia and India have already declared their own Indo-Pacific policy whereas Bangladesh has long been wooed to join the conceptual platform.

“Being a littoral State of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh considers the stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific to be a crucial factor in realizing the  “Vision 2041’, i.e. building a modern, knowledge-based developed country by 2041,” the introduction of the IPO said.

“The Indo-Pacific area’s collective share in global GDP, preponderance in international trade, enhanced climate action and growing technological dynamism can be key determinants for ensuring Bangladesh’s long-term resilience and prosperity.”

“Bangladesh, therefore, envisions a free, open, peaceful, secure, and inclusive Indo- Pacific for the shared prosperity for all,” the state minister said, quoting the IPO.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh- US relations will get a new momentum in the coming days under the leadership of the interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus,  according to economists, politicians and policy-makers.

Former Bangladesh Ambassador to USA Humayun Kabir while talking to this correspondent said the Bangladesh-US relations will get a momentum as Dhaka has multilateral engagement with Washington.

The USA is the single largest export destination of Bangladeshi products, the single  largest  donor and development partner, several thousand Bangladeshis are pursuing their higher education every year and one of the  top countries in case of foreign direct investment (FDI)  in Banglades. 

The relations with the USA suffered heavily during recent years as the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declined to the USA expectation of holding credible, partial, neutral parliament elections in 2014, 2018 and 2018.

Bangladesh was liberated in 1971 with an expectation that democratic and social values, voting and human rights and social justice would be ensured. Sheikh Hasina had humiliated basic values of human rights during the last 15 years.

Meanwhile, the United States (US) is ready to work with the Bangladesh interim government and welcomed its chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus's call for an end to the recent violence.

"We welcome Dr. Yunus's call for an end to the recent violence, and we stand ready to work with the interim government and Dr. Yunus as it charts a democratic future for the people of Bangladesh," said US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller while responding to a question at a regular briefing in Washington recently.

Meanwhile, the number of Bangladeshi students studying in the United States is at an all-time high. The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that 13,563 Bangladeshi students chose to study in the United States during the 2022-2023 academic year, according to the 2023 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.  The current number of Bangladeshi students in the United States represents a 28% increase from the previous academic year (2021-2022) and one of the highest overall increases in the world.

The number of Bangladeshi undergraduate students increased by more than 50%, with 2,500 students enrolled in undergraduate (bachelor’s and associate degrees) studies. Nearly 10,000 Bangladeshi graduate students are studying at U.S. institutions, making Bangladesh seventh in the world for graduate student enrollment in the United States.

During the past decade, Bangladeshi students in the United States have increased by more than 300%, from 3,314 students during the 2011-2012 academic year to 13,563 students during the 2022-2023 academic year.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education jointly release the annual Open Doors Report, which records the number of international students at U.S. universities and international students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs.  The total number of international students in the U.S. surpassed one million and rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels. The 2022-2023 academic year was the fastest growth rate of international students studying in the United States in four decades.

“We are excited to see that more and more Bangladeshi students are choosing the United States for higher education study. From engaging in groundbreaking research to enriching campus life through cultural programs, Bangladeshi students continue to make impressive achievements across U.S. campuses.” said the then U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas, in 2023.