US welcomes Indo-Bangla deals

Welcoming the agreements signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day state visit, a US diplomat yesterday said they share the enthusiasm with Bangladesh for greater cooperation in trade and commerce and exchange of people and ideas.

Talking to a select group of diplomatic correspondents at a roundtable at American Club in the capital's Gulshan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Eileen O'Connor said the US must be a keen observer since it has deep engagements with both countries.

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This is being considered the first comment from the US following Modi's visit.

Arriving on Sunday on a three-day visit, O'Connor termed Bangladesh-India relations "positive" and the land boundary agreement a "landmark" and highly appreciated the connectivity efforts saying it was a development process towards stability, prosperity, education and jobs.

"…because we see Asian countries like Bangladesh, which has six percent growth, as a model for economic growth that the entire region can subscribe to," she said, appreciating Bangladesh's zero tolerance to violent extremism.

She will speak at a roundtable, "sexual harassment, gender-based violence and the role of media" today.

O'Connor also serves as the senior director of Communications and Public Diplomacy in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and is a journalist.

She manages strategic communications and supports critical foreign policy goals through public diplomacy programmes that address good governance, preventing violent extremism, expanding information access, and improving education.