US Ambassador Haas visits Rajshahi
GBNews24 Desk//
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 on Tuesday.
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.
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