In addition to official talks with Ali, Kerry also met with former prime minister Khaleda Zia and a number of civic leaders during his brief stay. “And they are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversation”.
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A U.S. state department statement had earlier said Kerry will also “focus on strengthening our longstanding bilateral partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights”.
“One of Kerry’s core intentions in Dhaka will simply be to emphasize the importance that the US accords to security problems in Bangladesh, and Washington’s strong desire to help the government there address them”, he added.
His Dhaka visit will be followed by a visit to India, where the joint cooperation between US-India-Bangladesh in fighting terrorism will get priority during discussions.
Kerry arrived from neighbouring Bangladesh where he held talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on efforts to combat extremism following a recent series of deadly attacks.
The shootings came just two days after police killed the suspected mastermind of the cafe attack during a gunbattle outside Dhaka.
“Democracy still provides the most resilient and reliable platform we have for preventing and responding to violent extremism”. Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions including Hindus, Christians and Muslim Sufis and Shiites.
Landing in Dhaka around 10:10am, Kerry first visited Bangabandhu museum in Dhanmondi 32. The cafe attack has prompted foreigners, including potential investors, to leave Bangladesh – sparking worries for its garment industry, the world’s second largest after China.
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“He said they have enough expertise to combat terrorism”.
He added: “The United States is proud to be friend (of Bangladesh) and strong supporter of the fulfilment of his (Bangabandhu’s) vision. We look forward for growing and working together for peace and prosperity”.
“The secretary of state praised Bangladesh and said “you have done a remarkable job”, said Press Secretary Karim.
As he earlier offered counter-terrorism assistance, the official meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart was dominated by the security issue alongside other bilateral matters.
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During the hour-long meeting, Kerry said the two countries can also work on climate change, health and energy.
