Published : 31 Jul 2026, 06:02 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:29 AM
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has said Bangladesh’s relations with the United States are moving in a “very positive direction”, expressing confidence that both countries will build on recent progress.
He made the remarks on Thursday night after holding talks with Sergio Gor, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting and a working dinner, Khalilur said the discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties.
“We had a very good discussion. Bangladesh and the United States already enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship, and we held positive talks on how to take it even further,” he said.
Referring to his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gor in Manila last week, the foreign minister said the relationship was now on “a very positive trajectory”.
“We will build on the successes we have achieved so far in the days ahead,” he said.
Gor arrived in Dhaka on Thursday on a three-day visit. He also serves as the US ambassador to India.
The two sides held an hour-long meeting, followed by a one-on-one discussion.
On Friday, Gor, who is also the American ambassador to India, is scheduled to visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. He is also due to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday morning.
The US envoy also described the meeting as productive.
In a post on X after the talks, Ambassador Gor wrote: “It was great to meet Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman during my first visit to Bangladesh and discuss working together to strengthen US-Bangladesh relationship. Lots of positive progress.”
He added on the microblogging site: “This evening I informed [Khalilur] that the State Department has taken into consideration the stable conditions on the ground, and has deemed that Bangladesh is safer for travels.
“Accordingly, the United States overall travel advisory has been downgraded from level 3, to level 2. A few areas have additional restrictions and should be avoided. Great news!”
Wide-Ranging Agenda
Asked about the substance of the discussions, Khalilur said the two sides covered a broad range of issues, including trade, investment, energy and migration.
“We discussed various aspects of Bangladesh-US relations. These included trade, investment, energy and migration,” he said.
“But you cannot discuss everything in detail in a short meeting. We talked about the overall direction of our relationship. As I said, the trajectory is very positive, and we will build on that.”
Responding to a question about Washington’s engagement with Bangladesh’s current government, the minister said the relationship had been active from the outset.
“We have been engaging with the United States from day one. This is not limited to a single meeting. We maintain contacts at every level, and the relationship is moving forward.”
Asked whether the relationship differed qualitatively from that with previous governments, he said it had remained broadly consistent since the interim administration took office.
Gas, Rohingya and AI
Khalilur said Bangladesh was seeking international cooperation, including from the United States, to address the country’s gas shortage.
“We are seeking cooperation from many countries and are in discussions with all of them,” he said.
On the Rohingya crisis, he noted that the United States provides more than half of the international assistance received by Bangladesh.
He said the talks did not include discussions on increasing pressure on Myanmar to repatriate the refugees.
“We hope US assistance will continue. At the same time, we are pursuing a multilateral approach involving not only the United States but also other countries engaged in resolving the crisis,” he said.
Asked whether US concerns over the use of Chinese artificial intelligence technology had featured in the talks, Khalilur said no specific position had yet emerged.
“The world appears to be moving towards two different technological systems and blocs,” he said.
“This is an evolving technology, and many things remain unclear. AI will become one of the foundations of civilisation in the future. The newly established World AI Cooperation Organisation is still being reviewed by the United States, and we do not yet know its final position.”
Topics Left Untouched
The foreign minister said several issues raised by reporters had not been discussed during the meeting.
These included the Awami League’s political activities, the US Indo-Pacific strategy, the International Crimes Tribunal, regional security, the Bangladesh-China-Myanmar corridor, defence cooperation, the proposed acquisition of US defence equipment under GSOMIA and ACSA arrangements, and the participation of US companies in offshore gas exploration.
“There was no discussion on the Awami League,” Khalilur said when asked whether Western countries had raised the issue of inclusive democracy.
Asked whether the United States had expressed concerns over regional security or Bangladesh’s ties with neighbouring countries, he replied: “There was no discussion on that. So I assume there are no concerns.”
He also confirmed that there had been no discussions on the International Crimes Tribunal or GSOMIA and ACSA, while referring questions on defence cooperation to the Ministry of Defence.
On the proposed Bangladesh-China-Myanmar corridor, he said: “They made no comments.”
