US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni here, during which the two leaders discussed a range of issues including the latter’s labour laws and the Rohingya refugees.
Welcoming the second annual US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue that will take place in Dhaka next week, Kerry highlighted the strong bilateral relationship between the two nations.
Kerry also expressed condolences over the death of more than 1100 people in a building collapse in Dhaka.
“Everybody in America shared the agony of those losses, and our hearts go out to the families. We hope that this will help us to cooperate on the issue of labour and labour standards and workers and workers’ rights,” Kerry said.
“We are looking forward to our dialogue in Dhaka in about a week or so. This is a very important step in working on presidential initiatives, including climate change and food security,” he said.
Rohingya refugees
Terming the issue of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as a ’difficult’ situation which comes from Burma, Kerry said: “We appreciate the difficulties Bangladesh faces on the issue of the Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya is really a problem that comes from Burma. And the problem is that maybe 30,000 or more (registered) refugees are there.”
Moni said that the US-Bangladesh relationship is at its best now and the two nations are looking forward to more cooperation in all areas.
Kerry also urged rapid progress both on fire and building safety inspection issues and on quick passage of labour law amendments.
“He also noted the importance of the war crimes trials in the International Crimes Tribunal being conducted in a fair, transparent manner in accordance with international standards,” the State Department said.