US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Dhaka

US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Dhaka on his maiden visit to the country.

The US State Department has said he will focus on strengthening the partnership with Bangladesh.

The aircraft carrying him from Geneva touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 10:10am on Monday.

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali received him at the airport.

His visit is taking place amid growing US’s security concerns in Dhaka following the July 1 terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen restaurant in which 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, were killed.

Washington had issued travel warnings for Bangladesh and authorised a 'voluntary departure' of family members of US embassy diplomats and staff from Dhaka.

Kerry had also called up Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and sent the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Nisha Desai Biswal to express Washington’s solidarity with Bangladesh.

Biswal, during her visit, offered US expertise in building Bangladesh’s capabilities in countering terrorism.

The government, however, maintained that it would take “need-based” support from all “friendly” countries to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

The US Ambassador in Dhaka, Marcia Bernicat, on Sunday also reiterated the US support when journalists asked her about the visit.

She said there was “lots of offer” on the table to boost Bangladesh's counter-terrorism capabilities.

During his nine-hour stay before leaving for New Delhi at 6:40 pm, Kerry will meet the prime minister, foreign minister and deliver a lecture at Edward Kennedy Centre in Dhanmondi.

He will also visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi and a garment factory in Mirpur before meeting the embassy diplomats and staff at the Chancery.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Department of State said Kerry’s travel to Dhaka was to highlight the “longstanding and broad based US-Bangladesh relationship”.

He will meet senior government officials to discuss “our growing cooperation on global issues”.

“He also will focus on strengthening our longstanding bilateral partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights,” it added.

The Bangladesh foreign minister who invited him last year to visit the country said they were “delighted” that he was coming.

The visit takes place just before the US general elections in November amid perception that the US is not happy with the Hasina government following the last parliamentary elections that Washington did not find ‘credible’ since the BNP-led opposition boycotted the vote.

Bangladesh is not happy either as Dhaka did not get the GSP trade privilege back. The US is the single largest trading partner of Bangladesh.