US Counselor's visit to help strengthen Dhaka-Washington ties: spokesperson

The forthcoming visit of Counselor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet will help strengthen Bangladesh-US relations, said a spokesperson today.

"Counselor Derek Chollet will be visiting Bangladesh. The purpose of his visit is to strengthen the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States," Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told reporters this afternoon.

The US Counselor serves at the rank of under secretary as a senior policy advisor to the US secretary of state on a wide range of issues and conducts special diplomatic assignments as directed by the secretary.

Sabrin said Chollet will also discuss the Rohingya issue and see the situation on the ground. Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.

"The programmes are yet to be finalised," said the spokesperson about Chollet's planned February 14-15 visit.