DHAKA, July 26, 2022 (BSS) - US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has
concluded a 3-day trip to Rajshahi from July 24 to 26 to promote US higher
education and US government-fund exchange programs, economic engagement and
law enforcement cooperation in the region.
 
USAID Mission Director Kathryn Stevens accompanied the US envoy during the
visit and they met with local government leaders, law enforcement officials,
prosecutors, US Department of State exchange program alumni, students, and
teachers in Rajshahi, a US embassy press release said here today.
 
The delegation paid a courtesy call on the Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor A
H M Khairuzzaman Liton and discussed the US government's collaborative
efforts in partnering with the Government of Bangladesh through the
Department of State, Department of Justice, and USAID programs over the past
five decades.
 
Haas and Stevens also attended a USAID-fund "Fight Slavery and Trafficking in
Persons" project event to celebrate the formation of a counter trafficking
task force, including special tribunal judges.
 
Applauding the work of the judges and the prosecutors, Haas said, "The
establishment of these tribunals and task force reflect the Government of
Bangladesh's sincerity in punishing the perpetrators of human trafficking."
 
The Ambassador visited the century-old Varendra Research Museum, which has
received a total of $191,083 from the US government for the conservation,
restoration, and improvement of the museum's interior, exterior, and display
of artifacts.
 
Ambassador Haas also met Americans living and working in Rajshahi, and
emphasized the role that expatriates play in strengthening ties between the
US and Bangladesh.

The US envoy thanked Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET)
for hosting the first-ever American centre pop-up held in the division.
 
The pop-up attracted over 500 visitors providing students and teachers from
across the region with information and access to resources on US Department
of state-fund exchange programs and U.S. higher education advising services
provided by Education USA.
 
Ambassador Haas and Director Stevens also visited the American Corner in
Rajshahi, housed at Varendra University, which is one of six American Spaces
in the country.

After participating in a tour of the space, Ambassador Haas met with a group
of Rajshahi-based emerging and established civil society leaders including
Department of State exchange program alumni.
 
At the Radio Padma station, the Ambassador discussed 50 years of US
Bangladesh people-to-people ties where he expressed appreciation for how
community radio stations operate in Bangladesh and seek to provide rural
communities with access to comprehensive and accurate information, the
release added.
 
Haas appreciated the security services provided by Bangladesh Police in
Rajshahi.