Biden writes to Hasina for working together

US President Joe Biden has sent a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing his willingness to work together to achieve Bangladesh’s economic goals, according to the US Embassy in Dhaka.

The foreign ministry said the US Embassy in Dhaka shared the letter with the ministry on Sunday.

In the letter, Biden also expressed his desire to partner with Bangladesh on a “shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

“The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh’s ambitious economic goals and partnering with Bangladesh on our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” President Biden said in his letter.

US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas handed over the letter to foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen on Sunday morning, said diplomatic sources.

As the two countries “embark on the next chapter of the US-Bangladesh partnership,” the US President said he wanted to “convey the sincere desire of my Administration to continue our work together on regional and global security, economic development, climate change and energy, global health, humanitarian support, especially for Rohingya refugees, and more.”

“We have a long and successful history of working together to solve problems, and our strong people-to-people ties are the foundation of this relationship,” the letter added.

The Biden Administration has been critical of Bangladesh‍‍`s democracy and human rights records, especially in the last three national elections. It also announced a visa policy in May last year, saying that it would deny visas to those who undermine Bangladesh‍‍`s democracy and elections.