Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden during the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24.
A diplomatic source informed The Daily Star that “our chief adviser will be meeting President Joe Biden in the afternoon on September 24.” Yunus will arrive in New York on the evening of September 23 and will meet with President Biden the following day.
This meeting is seen as a reflection of the US administration’s support for Bangladesh’s interim government, according to the source in New York. Another source noted that the US president typically attends the UN General Assembly briefly and does not engage in bilateral meetings; thus, his meeting with Yunus is significant.
Diplomatic officials pointed out that this will be the first time a US president has held a bilateral meeting with a Bangladeshi head of government in New York. Relations between the US and Bangladesh had been strained during the Awami League regime, particularly after the US imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in December 2021 and announced visa restrictions in May of the following year against individuals seen as undermining democratic elections.
Following the elections, Washington stated that the process was not free, fair, or participatory.
