Kerry tweets about meeting with Hasina, cooperation to tackle terrorism, climate change

US Secretary of State John Kerry has taken to Twitter to express his delight on his first visit to Bangladesh.

After meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday afternoon, he wrote, "#Bangladesh has an extraordinary development story. Pleased to meet w/ PM Sheikh Hasina today."

Kerry paid respect to Bangladesh's independence hero Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi before calling on his daughter Hasina.

He also met Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and addressed a group of youths at Edward Kennedy Centre.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia met him at the US embassy in Baridhara. Kerry also visited a readymade garment factory in Mirpur.

The meeting with Hasina was dominated by issues related to countering terrorism together.

In another tweet, Kerry said, "Important discussions today in#Bangladesh incl. on security issues & our strong support in fighting against violent extremism."

Kerry’s brief visit took place amidst his country's travel alert following the killings of 22 persons, including 17 foreigners, in an attack on a cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic district Gulshan on July 1.

He had phoned Hasina after the attack to reassure Bangladesh of US help to tackle militancy. He also sent Assistant Secretary of State South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal to Dhaka.

Biswal offered the US expertise in building Bangladesh’s counterterrorism capabilities.

Now Kerry has reiterated the US eagerness to continue anti-terrorism cooperation.

On another note, the US secretary has spoken of Bangladesh's vulnerability to climate change and promised help to tackle the issue.

"By 2050, 15 million Bangladeshis could be displaced by #climatechange. US & Bangladesh committed to resiliency and clean energy future," he tweeted.