US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu on Wednesday described his Bangladesh visit as an effort to "rebuild the trust" between the people of the two countries.
"Last year, there were a lot of tension between US and Bangladesh," he told reporters in a brief statement, noting that they want to look forward.
Lu had a courtesy meeting with Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud at his office and discussed ways to deepen the "forward-looking" bilateral relationship between two countries.
The United States said they stand with Bangladesh in building a "prosperous, secure, and democratic" future.
"Our discussion with the Foreign Minister today reaffirmed our shared commitment to cultivating economic growth, bolstering the workforce, improving security cooperation, addressing the climate crisis and reinforcing our values of respecting democracy and human rights," said the US side.
Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lu said they want to find ways to strengthen the relationship.
"So I spoke about working the hard issues. We have lots of hard issues -- RAB sanction, labour reforms, we have human rights, business climate reforms," Lu said.
In order to work on hard issues, Donald Lu said, they want to build up the cooperation on positive issues.
"We are talking about new investments, more Bangladeshi students who want to study in the US and how to work on clean energy," he said.
The US also wants to support Bangladesh in fighting corruption, hold the officials accountable, ensure transparency and help widen tax net.
Lu said the US worked very hard to promote free, fair and non-violent elections which caused tension. "It is common in our relationship."
In a separate briefing, Foreign Minister Hasan said Lu came to Bangladesh to improve the relations.
On GSP issue, the foreign minister said the US wants to help Bangladesh get it back when they reintroduce the programme.
He said the US also wants to help Bangladesh strengthen its reserve.
They also talked about modernisation of the taxation system, Rohingya repatriation issue and genocide in Palestine.
"He told me that they also want to see peace in Gaza. They are hopeful and agreed that peace needs to be established there," Hasan said.
The Foreign Minister regretted the continued loss of innocent lives in Gaza and emphasized the urgency of reaching a ceasefire.
Lu highlighted the ongoing US efforts in this regard and hoped for a positive outcome soon.
Assistant Secretary Lu reaffirmed the United States' commitment to further the partnership with Bangladesh and take forward the new chapter of relationship.
They discussed a wide range of topics of shared interest, including economic cooperation, trade, investment, education, environment and climate change, security, Rohingya humanitarian response, women empowerment, labour reform, and aviation.
Senior Foreign Ministry officials and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas, among others, were present.
Assistant Secretary Lu held a meeting with Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury and discussed bilateral issues with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin on Wednesday.
Having spent much of his time in exploring the taste of Fuchka in Dhaka, visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has got engaged with social media influencers, apparently going for people instead of politics.
His long informal conversation with PM's adviser Salman F Rahman over dinner, inclusion of a young climate activist in civil society small group discussion and his plans to meet cricketers ahead of the T20 World Cup demonstrate the scope and thrust of his visit differ greatly from previous ones - before the elections in Bangladesh.
"We were thrilled to join the engaging discussions with the influential social media personalities and dedicated volunteers from Bangladesh. Whether you're into diplomacy, social impact, or just looking for some inspiration, these episodes of "Cha with Peter + Don" are a must-watch," the US Embassy in Dhaka shared on its social media platforms.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen recently said the pre-election scenario and the current scenario are totally different.
"A new government has been formed. A stable government is carrying forward its activities engaging with various countries. All countries think of engaging with Bangladesh," Momen said.
Talking to reporters at his residence on Tuesday night, Salman said the United States expressed willingness to expand the existing relations with Bangladesh on key fronts.
"We want to rebuild the trust," Salman quoted Lu as saying during their discussion over dinner at his residence.
"That's the most important thing. We also reciprocated saying that we also want that," the adviser added.
The two sides did not raise the "kind of misunderstanding" that apparently happened before the national election.
The US Embassy in Dhaka has shared a brief video appreciating the taste of Bangladeshi fuchka.
Lu together with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas were seen in the video.
"Bangladeshi fuchka is the best," they were heard saying while tasting fuchka together.
"East or West, Fuchka is the best! Guess what's cooking! We teamed up with celebrity chef Rahima Sultana to create a fusion of flavors with Fuchka and Jhalmuri! Are you ready for this epic culinary adventure? Enjoy the sneak peak and stay tuned for the full video!," read a message tagged with the tiny video.
As part of sports diplomacy, Lu got engaged with Bangladeshi cricket stars on Wednesday afternoon.
Donald Lu, accompanied by US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas, met Bangladesh Cricket Board and players at Bashundhara Sports Complex, an informed official told UNB.
They met the cricketers and board officials to extend their best wishes ahead of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup to be held in the United States and the West Indies.
The special event marks the Bangladesh cricket team's participation in the inaugural T20 World Cup in the US.
The 2024 Men's T20 World Cup starts on 2 June at 01:30 BST with hosts United States facing Canada in Texas.
Bangladesh's campaign begins on June 7, against Sri Lanka in Dallas, followed by a match against South Africa in New York on June 10.
With his discussion with the civil society members, Lu laid emphasis on climate adaptation and encouraged youth to come forward to help the people who are at risk in Bangladesh's coastal areas.
During a discussion with the civil society members, Lu cited examples of Bangladesh and the Maldives which might get affected due to sea-levl rise.
"He highlighted the importance of climate adaptation and protection of people in the coastal areas. He urged the youth to come forward for the protection of people living in the coastal regions," Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator, YouthNet for Climate Justice, told UNB after the meeting.
The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, rights activist Md Nur Khan Liton, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Women Workers Solidarity Kalpona Akter, Rani Yan Yan and Mahmuda Akhter were also present.
The civil society members raised Palestine issue and genocide committed by Israeli forces, said a source.
Politics in the post-election period, human rights, labour rights and workers fair wages also came up for discussion.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas also attended the discussion held at his residence.
Lu arrived here on Tuesday to "strengthen bilateral cooperation" and to demonstrate US support for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
His visit was aimed at deepening Bangladesh-US cooperation, including deepening the economic ties in ways that the two countries can collaborate further to address climate issues, said Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US Department of State Vedant Patel.