What message did Bangladesh get from the Biden-Younus meeting?
What message did Bangladesh get from the Biden-Younus meeting?
In a statement regarding the meeting between Bangladesh's interim government chief advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus and U.S. President Joe Biden, the White House expressed continued American support for Bangladesh's new reform agenda.
Additionally, the U.S. has announced nearly $20 million in new financial aid for the Rohingya and the local communities in Bangladesh hosting them.
Mr. Yunus is currently in the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where he met with Mr. Biden on Tuesday night, Bangladesh time.
He also held meetings with several government and state leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Mr. Yunus also spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative, where former U.S. President Bill Clinton was present.
Photos of President Joe Biden and Bill Clinton expressing their excitement over Mr. Yunus's presence as the head of the Bangladeshi government at the United Nations have flooded social media in Bangladesh.
International relations analysts say that Mr. Yunus's presence at the United Nations as the head of the Bangladeshi government has elicited enthusiastic reactions from the U.S. and other Western countries, signaling a message of cooperation for Bangladesh, while the international community has received a positive impression of the country.
It is noteworthy that in recent years, tensions in U.S.-Bangladesh relations over democracy and election issues have become apparent. These tensions visibly began in December 2021 with the U.S. imposing sanctions on the elite force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), due to allegations of human rights violations.
Later, on May 25, 2023, the U.S. announced a visa policy ahead of the elections, which placed unprecedented pressure on the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.
During that time, Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet members strongly criticized the U.S. They also made claims that the U.S. wanted to control St. Martin's Island or establish military bases in the region, which the U.S. has consistently denied.
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