Dhaka Bureau: The US wants to ensure its presence and influence in the Indo-Pacific region at any cost to corner China. In view of such harsh reality, the 10th Defense Dialogue between Bangladesh and the United States will be held in Dhaka on Wednesday and the next day on Thursday. Washington may want to know how Dhaka can contribute to the meeting. At the same time, the bilateral defense agreement is also likely to be discussed in the meeting.
According to diplomatic sources, an 8-member US delegation led by Brigadier General Thomas J. James, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy of the Indo-Pacific Command arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday (22 August) to join the dialogue. Brigadier General Hussain Muhammad Masihur Rahman, Director General of Operations and Planning Division of the Armed Forces Department (AFD) will lead the meeting on behalf of Bangladesh. The meeting discussed Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), regional and global security, cooperation between the two militaries, defense equipment, disaster management as part of the defense pact. , peacekeeping and establishment, training, exchange of visits of military officers of the two countries, suppression of militancy, etc., are scheduled to be discussed. Confirming the meeting, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs said that a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region is currently one of the priorities of the United States to corner China.
They want to assert their presence and influence in the region at any cost. Democracy and human rights are one of their elements in IPS to ensure this presence. He said that the issue of democracy and human rights will be emphasized from Washington in the discussion on IPS. Because, it is currently the global priority of the United States. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken clarified his position on the Indo-Pacific region in a message last Saturday. He said, our presence will be increased in critical regions like the Indo-Pacific region. The United States is leading an unprecedented coalition to counter aggression and address humanitarian crises around the world. The ninth meeting of the Dhaka-Washington Bilateral Defense Dialogue was held in the United States in May last year.
The meeting will discuss the procurement of arms from the United States. When asked about the purchase of advanced military equipment and defense contracts from the United States, the official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the procurement of arms will be scrutinized and collected according to Bangladesh’s capabilities, considering price, quality and strategic aspects.
Bangladesh agrees on GSOMIA, one of two defense deals. But now Dhaka is adopting a slow-walk policy with the agreement. Recently, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. AK Abdul Momen also said that there is no possibility of a defense agreement with the US before the elections. US has GSOMIA and ACSA agreements with India and Sri Lanka in South Asia. Apart from this, there are military cooperation agreements with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Apart from this, the country signed a military agreement with Maldives in 2020.
