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Bangladesh is likely to seek financial assistance from the US during talks with a US delegation scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on September 15, said Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on Tuesday.
US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu will lead the delegation, which includes Brent Neiman, acting assistant secretary of the Treasury for International Finance and Development at the US Department of the Treasury.
The delegation will call on the Chief Adviser and hold meetings with the Finance Adviser and the Foreign Adviser.
‘We will surely seek assistance from the US but I can’t say what form of assistance it will be’, the Foreign Adviser told reporters while replying to a question.
Responding to another question, he brushed aside the idea that US wants to use the St Martin’s Island as a base.
He also said that issues related to the sanctions against the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and visa sanction would not be on the agenda.
‘I don’t think visa sanctions will affect our bilateral ties as it’s their own policy and effective only for selected persons, not all’, he noted.
Responding to another question, he said that he was not aware why India had not resumed full operations of its visa centres in Bangladesh.
“Only they can explain it,” he said, adding that like Bangladesh, India also has business interests in the country.
Replying to another question, he said that around 8000 Rohingya had recently intruded into Bangladesh in the face of brutal attacks against them.
“We are sensitive to the humanitarian issue, but for now, our policy is not to allow such intrusion as we do not have the capacity to provide shelter to any more Rohingya, he said.