Partnership Dialogue: Bangladesh, US agree to fight ISIS, al Qaeda together

Bangladesh and the US have recognised the ‘shared threats’ of terrorism they face and agreed to jointly work to counter violent extremist groups such as Da’esh (ISIL) and al Qaeda.

In the last month’s ‘partnership dialogue’ in Washington, both countries also announced Bangladesh’s joining in the US Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund (CTPF) which will enable the countries “to expand bilateral counterterrorism partnership and support programs to advance the collaboration”.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque led their sides at the annual dialogue on Jun 23-24 with the objective of “broadening and deepening the partnership”.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington released the joint statement on Saturday, over a week after Dhaka faced an unprecedented terrorist attack in a café in which 17 foreigners were killed.

US President Barack Oabma vowed to stand by Bangladesh to fight off terrorism, after the attack.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Sunday to discuss security issues.

Strengthening security cooperation

Both countries took stock of the bilateral ties in the partnership dialogue which is being held on three themes with security at the top of the agenda.

The other areas are development and governance cooperation, and trade and investment cooperation.

According to the joint statement, both countries showed their shared commitment to broadening and deepening their partnership, including on security and counterterrorism and countering violent extremism, considering the global threats of terrorism and violent extremism.

They announced Bangladesh’s participation in the CTPF as a way “to deepen our cooperation”.

CTPF-supported programs would strengthen Bangladesh-US cooperation in responding to evolving radicalisation and terrorist threats, help to improve partnerships between the civilian-led counterterrorism elements, and address the conditions that give rise to extremism.

The US side also said the cooperation on security seeks to reinforce Bangladesh’s ability to improve community policing, and provide training on counter-messaging, among others.

“We are also developing career civil servant prosecutors that can specialise in bringing violent extremists to justice, and prevent, address, and counter transnational crime.”

Additional assistance includes security training to demonstrate the shared commitment of the two countries to promote and protect human rights.

“This cooperation is a tangible demonstration of the two countries’ firm resolve to counter violent extremism in the region and beyond.”

The defence cooperation continues to focus on maritime security, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, regional counterterrorism, and peacekeeping operations (PKO).

The US welcomes the Bangladesh Navy’s 2016-2018 Chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.

As one of the largest contributors of UN Peacekeepers, Bangladesh partners with the US and others to ensure accountability for any allegations.

Both sides highlighted the growing bilateral ties and reaffirmed a relationship based on shared values and common goals.

Cooperating on development and governance

The US shares a “vision of an increasingly prosperous” Bangladesh – one that serves as a bridge for trade and commerce between South and Southeast Asia.

“Our cooperation on development has long been a bright spot in our bilateral relationship and continues to grow,” read the statement.

Both sides also discussed ways to encourage civil society in further promoting democratic values and practices under this thematic area.

They also discussed partnerships in disaster management response.

The US also recognised Bangladesh’s “generosity” in hosting the Rohingya people from Burma over several decades.

Both sides were also committed “to continued cooperation on advancing protection, assistance, and solutions for this population displaced within Burma (Myanmar) and from Burma (Myanmar) to Bangladesh and also throughout the region”.

With a focus on the future of the bilateral relationship, both sides recognised the importance of engaging youth in education, with an emphasis on achieving gender parity at all levels of education.

Bangladesh reaffirmed that it will retain the legal age of marriage at 18, without exceptions.

Cooperating on trade, investment, and labour

Both sides identified areas for greater collaboration in trade, investment and labour.

The US side offered “full support” for increased regional economic integration and connectivity initiatives, including development of the Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor, facilitation of cross-border trade, energy cooperation, infrastructure development, and greater participation of women in economic activities.

It applauded Bangladesh’s work on the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative (BBIN), as well as its investment in hydropower in Bhutan and Nepal.

Both sides also discussed the importance of safeguarding the environment. The US outlined a broad programme in Bangladesh to spur development of a national forest inventory to help reduce deforestation, curb illegal logging, and contribute to the monitoring of forest change.

Bangladesh expressed its willingness to participate in the Sep “Our Ocean” conference in Washington.

The US encouraged Bangladesh to be a partner in the “Sea Scout” initiative to battle against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

The US side acknowledged Bangladesh’s progress on workers' safety and advancing workers’ rights and reaffirmed its commitment to work together for continued advancement in these areas.

They also noted Bangladesh’s proposal of treating all the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) equally and noted its desire for Duty Free Quota Free (DFQF) access to the US market.

They also agreed to deepen engagement to increase agricultural productivity and efficiency, apply standards and regulations based on sound science, and further improve food security and nutrition.

The US side stated that it had been a “consistent” partner in the success stories of Bangladesh and expressed its willingness to remain so in the future.

Both sides agreed to hold the Security Dialogue and the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) in Dhaka in autumn 2016, the Defence Dialogue in autumn 2016 in Washington and the sixth Partnership Dialogue in Bangladesh in 2017 at a mutually agreed date.