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Published : 04 Mar 2026, 12:04 AM
US Assistant Secretary of State Paul Kapur has arrived in Dhaka in a high-profile visit aimed at consolidating the “strategic partnership” between Bangladesh and the United States.
This marks the first top-level US mission to Bangladesh since Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government took office.
Kapur touched down on Tuesday night via Delhi and was received at Shahjalal International Airport by Arshuda Khan, director of the North America Wing at the foreign ministry.
The US Embassy in Dhaka welcomed his arrival on X, noting that he will meet with government officials and business leaders to deepen bilateral ties.
Ahead of the two-day visit, embassy spokesperson Poornima Rai highlighted that the mission seeks to advance cooperation across trade, investment, security, and shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
On Wednesday, Kapur is scheduled to meet Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Power Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, and Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir.
In the evening, he will attend a dinner with business leaders to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
Thursday, the final day of his visit, will include meetings with political leaders, including representatives from the Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP), and BNP leadership.
Kapur will also meet with heads of diplomatic missions in Bangladesh and pay respects at the graves of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
The day will conclude with talks with Tarique’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Humayun Kabir and an Iftar event hosted by the foreign ministry.
Kapur was nominated in February 2025 by US President Donald Trump to oversee diplomacy for Bangladesh, India, and the wider South Asian region.
Confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in October 2025, he previously served as a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, specialising in South Asian politics, security, and international relations.
He is the second person of Indian descent to hold the top US diplomatic post for South Asia.
