DHAKA: Two-day fourth annual partnership dialogue between Bangladesh and United States (US) is underway in city from Thursday.

High officials from both countries are taking part in the dialogue at the state guest house ‘Meghna’, started at 10:00am.

Bangladesh foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy R Sherman are set to lead their respective sides in the dialogue plenary session, to be held on Friday morning.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal will also attend the dialogue. A group of US officials led by Sherman along with Biswal will arrive in Dhaka around 4:00pm.

The dialogue has been held annually since 2012 to strengthen the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and US.

Sources said the different issues including development and good governance, trade and investment, and security cooperation will be discussed in the fourth dialogue.

According the US Department of State, Sherman “plans to raise issues related to the political situation with the government and other interlocutors” in the dialogue.

Sherman previously led the US delegation to the third US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue in October 2014.

The dialogue in 2014 covered the full range of bilateral and regional topics of interest, including development and governance, trade and investment, and security cooperation sustainable development, counterterrorism, migration, and climate change.

However, Biswal is also set to meet high officials of Bangladesh government and members of civil society, according to the sources of US embassy in Dhaka.

BDST: 1349 HRS, APR 30, 2015
HB/RR